STRUCTURE OF GRATE FOR FUEL ASSEMBLY IN NUCLEAR REACTOR Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G21C3/344 

FIELD: power engineering.

SUBSTANCE: structure of fuel assembly grate with triangular scheme of fuel elements arrangement consists of cells. Cells have shape of tubes with faces and adjoin each other by these faces. Longitudinal axes of these faces are parallel to FA axis and are installed in units of triangular mesh. Extreme parts of each cell have shape of polyhedron. In the middle part of at least group of cells there are grooves arranged. Faces of one of extreme parts in each of these cells are turned around longitudinal axis of cell relative to similar faces of another extreme part of the same cell. All faces are parallel to longitudinal axis of cell. Three non-adjacent faces are arranged around axis of each cell with pitch of 120° and have largerst identical width compared to other faces, with formation of channels for coolant passage in process of cells adjoning.

EFFECT: improved operational reliability due to increase of critical heat flow as a result of formation of lengthy across motions along rows of fuel elements, which cause efficient mixing of coolant between cells without liquid carry-over from surface of fuel elements.