FUEL ELEMENT, WORKING HOLDER AND WATER-COOLED POWER REACTOR WITH HEAT POWER RANGING FROM 1150 MW TO 1700 MW Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G21C3/02 G21C3/38 G21C1/08 

FIELD: nuclear physics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to nuclear engineering, particularly to design of fuel elements and working holders assembled from the said fuel elements, used in water-cooled nuclear power reactors with heat power ranging from 1150 MW to 1700 MW. The fuel element of a water-cooled power reactor has cylindrical shell with end caps and a fuel column made from nuclear fuel tablets inside the shell. The length L_FC of the fuel column ranges from 2.480 m to 2.700 m. Total length L_cap of parts of the end caps protruding from the cylindrical shell is not less than 5·10^-3 m. The working holder of such a reactor has a head, a tail and a bundle of fuel elements with a fuel column. The ratio of the length L_FC of the fuel column to the dimension L_T between the upper end of the head and the lower end of the spherical surface of the tail ranges from 0.8276 to 0.9000. The length L_H of the head ranges from 120 10^-3 m to 163 10^-3 m. The distance L_T from the lower end of the spherical surface to the upper end of the tail ranges from 90 10^-3 m to 238 10^-3 m. The water-cooled power reactor with heating power ranging from 1150 MW to 1700 MW has a core made from the working holders, a moving plate and a bottom plate of the core barrel with mounting sockets for tails of the working holders. At least one working holder with the design given above is fitted in the core.

EFFECT: invention enables reduction of heat loads, reduction of probability of pressure loss in fuel elements and non-uniformity of energy release, and improves fuel use.