FUEL ROD ARRAY AND INSERT SPACER COMPONENT Russian patent published in 2008 - IPC G21C3/322 G21C3/356 

FIELD: heating, heat exchange.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to nuclear power engineering and can be utilised in arrays of fuel rods of nuclear reactors, particularly in reactors of PWR and BWR type. The fuel rod array contains spacer grids, including cells formed with perpendicular crossing plates. In the cell there is installed an insert spacer component with a closed loop, designed for fixation of a fuel element passing through the cell. At least part of the cells in the spacer grids, located between the first and the last one along the direction of the heat carrier flow, through which fuel elements pass, is equipped with deflectors, designed for mixing the flow of the heat carrier. The insert spacer component contains a shell, which in its cross section has a shape of octahedron formed with four convex in the direction from the center of the said element and rounded facets between which four concave in the direction to the center of the said element and profiled facets are installed. The concave facets have in their central portion a rectilinear section. As a result the rigidity of cells is increased, as well as hydraulic resistance to a heat carrier flow is reduced.

EFFECT: reduction of hydraulic resistance to a heat carrier flow.

13 cl, 7 dwg