Fuel assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728046-B2
Application number	US-201916360059-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Mar 30, 2018
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A fuel assembly includes full length fuel rods which contain a plutonium fissile (Puf) but do not contain a burnable poison, full length fuel rods which contain the fissile uranium and the burnable poison, and partial length fuel rods which contain Puf but do not contain the burnable poison in a channel box. The plutonium enrichment is decreased in an order of the full length fuel rods. The concentration of the burnable poison of the full length fuel rod is higher than the concentration of the full length fuel rod. In each side of a rectangular outermost periphery adjacent to the inner surface of the channel box in a horizontal cross-sectional view of the fuel assembly, two partial length fuel rods are adjacently disposed, and the full length fuel rod containing the burnable poison is disposed to be adjacent to each partial length fuel rod.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fuel assembly, comprising:
a lower fuel support member;
an upper fuel support member;
a channel box having a square shape in a cross section of the fuel assembly;
the channel box having an upper end attached to the upper fuel support member, and extending toward the lower fuel support member, the channel box delimiting a space, wherein a plurality of first fuel rods, a plurality of second fuel rods, a plurality of third fuel rods and a plurality of fourth fuel rods are disposed in the space, the space having an outermost periphery adjacent to an inner surface of the channel box,
the plurality of first fuel rods having a lower end supported by the lower fuel support member and an upper end supported by the upper fuel support member, containing a nuclear fuel material, and not containing a burnable poison;
the plurality of second fuel rods having a lower end supported by the lower fuel support member and an upper end supported by the upper fuel support member, and containing the nuclear fuel material and the burnable poison;
the plurality of third fuel rods having a lower end supported by the lower fuel support member and an upper end not supported by the upper fuel support member, having a length in an axial direction shorter than the plurality of first fuel rods and the plurality of second fuel rods in the axial direction, the plurality of third fuel rods containing the nuclear fuel material, and not containing the burnable poison; and
the plurality of fourth fuel rods having a lower end supported by the lower fuel support member and an upper end supported by the upper fuel support member, and containing the nuclear fuel material and the burnable poison
wherein two third fuel rods are disposed in the outermost periphery,
wherein each of the plurality of second fuel rods are disposed in the outermost periphery and each of the plurality of second fuel rods is respectively disposed adjacent to at least one of two adjacent third fuel rods in the outermost periphery,
wherein the plurality of fourth fuel rods are disposed at each corner of the channel box and adjacent to the outermost periphery, and
wherein a concentration of the burnable poison of the plurality of fourth fuel rods is lower than a concentration of the burnable poison of the plurality of second fuel rods.

2. The fuel assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein the two adjacent third fuel rods are disposed at centers of sides of the channel box in the outermost periphery.

3. The fuel assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a water rod which has a lower end supported to the lower fuel support member and an upper end supported to the upper fuel support member, and is disposed in the channel box,
wherein the plurality of first fuel rods, the plurality of second fuel rods, and the plurality of third fuel rods are disposed around the water rod,
wherein the water rod is disposed between two partial length fuel rod groups which include a plurality of fifth fuel rods disposed adjacent to each other, having a lower end supported by the lower fuel support member and an upper end not supported by the upper fuel support member, and being shorter than the plurality of third fuel rods in the axial direction,
wherein each of the two partial length fuel rod groups is disposed adjacent to the water rod.

4. The fuel assembly according to claim 3 ,
wherein the plurality of fifth fuel rods contain the nuclear fuel material and do not contain the burnable poison.

5. The fuel assembly according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of first fuel rods contain the nuclear fuel material in which plutonium is contained,
wherein the plurality of second fuel rods contains the nuclear fuel material in which enriched uranium is contained, and
wherein the plurality of third fuel rods contain the nuclear fuel material in which plutonium is contained.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ge Nuclear Energy Ltd

Inventors

• Mitsuyasu Takeshi
• Aoyama Motoo

Classifications

• G21C3/326 Primary

  comprising fuel elements of different composition; comprising, in addition to the fuel elements, other pin-, rod-, or tube-shaped elements, e.g. control rods, grid support rods, fertile rods, poison rods or dummy rods · CPC title

• G21C3/26

  with fissile or breeder material in powder form within a non-active casing · CPC title

• G21C3/332

  Supports for spacer grids · CPC title

• G21C3/3305

  Lower nozzle · CPC title

• G21C3/3315

  Upper nozzle · CPC title