METHOD AND DEVICE FOR COOLING DOWN FUEL ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING FUEL-ELEMENT SIMULATORS Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC G21C15/00 G21C15/06 

FIELD: thermal physics; in-service cooling of fuel-element simulators incorporated in fuel assembly.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method includes heat transfer from fuel-element simulator to high-heat transfer unit that passes fuel-element simulators; conveying of cooling agent from this unit to space over perimeter of high-heat conducting unit and to reservoir accommodating bottom parts of current leads. Cooling agent is supplied to top or bottom space of reservoir communicating, respectively, with external or internal spaces of current leads made in the form of coaxially mounted tubes; cooling agent is pumped through bottom or top space of reservoir and through internal and external or external and internal spaces of current leads, as well as through bottom or top space of reservoir; then cooling agent is discharged through bottom or top space of reservoir. Device implementing proposed method has bottom flange of fuel assembly can with fuel-element simulators protruding therefrom and including bottom part of simulators and that of current leads connected through flexible conducting members to common current lead; bottom parts of fuel-element simulators are disposed in high-heat transfer unit that has space over perimeter; bottom parts of current leads are disposed in reservoir. The latter has at least two spaces with air-tight partition in-between which communicate with external and internal spaces of coaxial current leads electrically connected to reservoir ground, as well as common current lead connected to reservoir ground.

EFFECT: enhanced reliability of fuel assembly.

2 cl, 2 dwg