STRUCTURE OF PLATE GRID FOR FUEL ASSEMBLY Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC G21C3/36 

FIELD: power engineering.

SUBSTANCE: structure of a grid for fuel assemblies (FA) comprises cells designed to install fuel elements, their connecting channels and local swirlers installed above them along with the coolant flow. Cells of hexagonal section and connecting channels of triangular section are formed when three groups of strips equipped with slots in areas of crossing cross at the angle of 120° to each other. At the edges of the strips there are mixer blades installed as bent at their base towards the channels, at the same time one blade is bent towards each channel at each side until support contact of all three blades with each other to form a local swirler.

EFFECT: improved operational reliability of a FA with a triangular scheme of fuel elements location due to provision of guaranteed higher value of critical capacity by formation of stable rotary flows of coolant between three fuel elements with the help of reliable local swirlers.

3 cl, 6 dwg