Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
376362000 | Fuel assembly supports | 11 |
20090041174 | Reactor Core - A reactor core, comprising: | 02-12-2009 |
20090296875 | FUEL SUPPORTS FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS - A fuel support for a nuclear reactor may include: a plurality of fuel support apertures, each fuel support aperture dimensioned for receiving a lower tie plate of a fuel assembly; and a plurality of lumens, each lumen being coupled to a different fuel support aperture. At least one lumen may be configured for attenuating a fluid flow differently than the fluid flow in at least one other of the lumen. | 12-03-2009 |
20100128833 | Reactor Core - A reactor core, comprising:
| 05-27-2010 |
20110311015 | FUEL CHANNEL ANNULUS SPACER - An annulus spacer for a fuel channel assembly of a nuclear reactor. The fuel channel assembly includes a calandria tube and a pressure tube positioned at least partially within the calandria tube. The annulus spacer includes a garter spring configured to surround a portion of the pressure tube to maintain a gap between the calandria tube and the pressure tube. The garter spring includes a first end and a second end. The annulus spacer also includes a connector coupled to the first end and the second end of the garter spring. The connector allows movement of the annulus spacer when the pressure tube moves relative to the calandria tube during thermal cycles of the fuel channel assembly. The annulus spacer further includes a girdle wire positioned substantially within the garter spring and configured to form a loop around the pressure tube. | 12-22-2011 |
20160180975 | LIGHT WATER REACTOR WITH CONDENSING STEAM GENERATOR | 06-23-2016 |
20160379722 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INCREASED STABILITY NUCLEAR FUEL CASTINGS - Nuclear fuel assembly support castings direct fluid flow through nuclear fuel assemblies with relatively lower decay ratios and thus improved flow stability. The castings include an internal flow passage that is elongated to increase fluid flow inertia. The passage may be in excess of 0.3 meters and up to several meters in a straight, vertical direction that does not disrupt inertial fluid flow. Castings may omit an entry orifice and replicate any orifice-driven pressure drop with a specifically-sized flow passage that causes a similar pressure drop, or castings may use a side or bottom entry orifice at an entrance to the passage. Castings accommodate any number of fuel assemblies and other core structures including control blades, instrumentation tubes, core plates, and other core structures, such as four fuel assemblies arranged in a grid on the casting with a cruciform control element extending through a center of the casting. | 12-29-2016 |
376364000 | Fuel assembly holddown or locking means | 5 |
20100166134 | Top Nozzle Having On-Off Type Of Hold-Down Spring In Nuclear Fuel Assembly - The present invention relates to a top nozzle having on-off type of hold-down springs for a nuclear fuel assembly that has a two-stage elastic section such that a pushing force against the axial movement of the nuclear fuel assembly under normal conditions is optimized and at the same time a suppressing force against a drastic uplifting force of the nuclear fuel assembly under transient conditions is strengthened, and that lowers the elastic coefficients of the springs operating under normal conditions more than those of existing coil springs, thereby providing an optimal pushing force against the nuclear fuel assembly. | 07-01-2010 |
20110182394 | TOP NOZZLE FOR NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY HAVING SPRING INSERT HOLE IMPROVED IN FASTENING STABILITY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A top nozzle for a nuclear fuel assembly and a method of manufacturing the top nozzle are provided. The top nozzle can include a coupling plate, a perimeter wall and a hold-down spring unit. The coupling plate can be coupled to a guide thimble of the nuclear fuel assembly. The perimeter wall can protrude upwards from the perimeter of the coupling plate. A spring clamp can be provided on the upper surface of the perimeter wall. The hold-down spring unit can be mounted to the upper surface of the perimeter wall in such a way to couple a corresponding end of the hold-down spring unit to the spring clamp. A fastening pin hole can be vertically formed through an upper surface of the spring clamp. A spring insert hole into which the hold-down spring unit can be inserted and formed by electro-discharge machining in an insert direction of the hold-down spring. | 07-28-2011 |
20110182395 | HOLD-DOWN SPRING UNIT FOR TOP NOZZLE OF NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY HAVING IMPROVED HOLD-DOWN PERFORMANCE AND TOP NOZZLE FOR NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY HAVING THE SAME - Disclosed herein is a hold-down spring unit for a top nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit is coupled to the upper end of the top nozzle of the nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit includes a first spring which acts against a hold-down force with respect to the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions of a nuclear reactor, and a second spring which acts against a hold-down force with respect to the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions of the nuclear reactor. The present invention reduces the hold-down margin under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions, thus enhancing the mechanical and structural stability of the nuclear fuel assembly. | 07-28-2011 |
20120177170 | NUCLEAR FUEL ROD PLENUM SPRING ASSEMBLY - A nuclear fuel rod plenum spring assembly that has a spacer affixed to the lower end of the ground torsion spring. The spacer has a substantially flat surface on its underside that presses against the upper surface of the upper fuel pellets to spread the load of the spring over the top surface of the upper most fuel pellet. | 07-12-2012 |
20130003910 | HOLD-DOWN SPRING UNIT FOR TOP NOZZLE OF NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY, AND TOP NOZZLE FOR NUCLEAR FUEL ASSEMBLY EMPLOYING THE HOLD-DOWN SPRING UNIT - A hold-down spring unit for a top nozzle of a nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit is coupled to the upper end of the top nozzle of the nuclear fuel assembly. The hold-down spring unit includes a first spring which provides a hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions of a nuclear reactor, and a second spring which provides an additional hold-down force upon the nuclear fuel assembly under start-up conditions of the nuclear reactor. The hold-down margin under start-up conditions or hot full power conditions is reduced, thus enhancing the mechanical and structural stability of the nuclear fuel assembly. | 01-03-2013 |