Debris filter for a nuclear fuel assembly bottom end part and method of manufacturing such a debris filter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12412673-B2
Application number	US-202017766148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2020
Priority date	Oct 4, 2019
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A debris filter configured for a nuclear fuel assembly bottom end part includes a lower nozzle ( 8 ) and the debris filter ( 18 ) is supported by the lower nozzle ( 8 ). The debris filter ( 18 ) has an inlet face ( 18 A) and an outlet face ( 18 B) opposed to the inlet face ( 18 A), and comprises at least one filtering section ( 18 D) that has a retention capacity that increases gradually or stepwise towards from the inlet face ( 18 A) to the outlet face ( 18 B).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a nuclear fuel assembly bottom end part comprising a lower nozzle and a debris filter supported by the lower nozzle, the lower nozzle comprising a first part and a second part, the debris filter having an inlet face and an outlet face opposed to the inlet face, the debris filter comprising at least one filtering section that has a retention capacity that increases gradually or stepwise towards from the inlet face to the outlet face, the method comprising:
manufacturing the first part;
manufacturing the second part;
manufacturing the debris filter at least partly by building up the debris filter by additive manufacturing onto the first part; and then
assembling the second part on the first part.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first part is a nozzle part and the second part is a lower tie plate.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the debris filter comprises several superimposed filtering layers located one above another between the inlet face and the outlet face, the filtering layers having different retention capacities.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein each preceding filtering layer has a retention capacity strictly inferior to that of the next filtering layer when considering the filtering layers from the inlet face to the outlet face.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least two of the filtering layers are manufactured separately and assembled together to obtain the debris filter.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least two filtering layers are made integrally in a single piece of material by additive manufacturing.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second part is a nozzle part and the first part is a lower tie plate.

Assignees

• Framatome Sa

Inventors

• Erhard Friedrich
• Finzel Sven
• Kraus Christoph
• Blavius Dirk
• Hofbeck Stefan
• Heath Shawn

Classifications

• G21C3/3305 Primary

  Lower nozzle · CPC title

• B01D39/2037

  otherwise bonded · CPC title

• B01D39/2034

  sintered or bonded by inorganic agents · CPC title

• B01D2239/0672

  The layers being joined by welding · CPC title

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title