METHOD OF DEPOSITING LACQUER COATING ON SURFACE OF FUEL ELEMENTS WITH ZIRCONIUM ALLOY CLADDING BEFORE MOUNTING IN FUEL ASSEMBLY RACK AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC G21C21/00 

FIELD: physics, atomic power.

SUBSTANCE: present group of inventions relates to atomic power engineering and can be used in making fuel elements and mounting said fuel elements into a fuel assembly, primarily for pressurised water reactors. In the method of depositing a lacquer coating on the surface of fuel elements with zirconium alloy cladding, the surface of the fuel elements is brought into contact with lacquer and then dried to form a lacquer coating on the surface of the fuel elements. The surface of the fuel elements is brought into contact with lacquer and dried by moving the fuel elements horizontally along their axis successively through a lacquer deposition area and a drying area and forced and proportioned wetting in the lacquer deposition area of the cylindrical surface of the fuel elements with lacquer as the lacquer pass through a tight-fitting elastic capillary-porous element into which lacquer is fed until pores of said element are filled.

EFFECT: preparing fuel elements for assembly in a fuel assembly rack in a continuous and easily automated mode.

10 cl, 5 dwg