Fuel Loading Method and Reactor Core

US2020194132A1 · US · A1

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-2020194132-A1
Application numberUS-201916691038-A
CountryUS
Kind codeA1
Filing dateNov 21, 2019
Priority dateDec 17, 2018
Publication dateJun 18, 2020
Grant date

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  1. Title

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  2. Abstract

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  3. Assignees and inventors

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  4. Key dates

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  5. First independent claim

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  6. CPC / IPC classifications

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  7. Citations and related patents

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Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

When all fuel assemblies loaded in a region excluding an outermost periphery of the reactor core in an Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all fuel assemblies loaded in the region excluding the outermost periphery of the reactor core in a (N+m) th (m>1) operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly, the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in the (N+m) th operation cycle is greater than the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in a (N+m−1) th operation cycle which is one operation cycle before the (N+m) th operation cycle, and a cycle burnup in the (N+m) th operation cycle is greater than a cycle burnup in the (N+m−1) th operation cycle.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

1 . A fuel loading method for a transition reactor core when transitioning from a first fuel assembly to a second fuel assembly in which at least one of an average uranium enrichment, an average fissile plutonium enrichment, and a fuel rod arrangement is different from that of the first fuel assembly, wherein when all fuel assemblies loaded in a region excluding an outermost periphery of the reactor core in an Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all fuel assemblies loaded in the region excluding the outermost periphery of the reactor core in a (N+m)th (m>1) operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly, the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in the (N+m) th operation cycle is greater than the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in a (N+m−1)th operation cycle which is one operation cycle before the (N+m)th operation cycle, and a cycle burnup in the (N+m)th operation cycle is greater than a cycle burnup in the (N+m−1)th operation cycle. 2 . The fuel loading method according to claim 1 , wherein all the fuel assemblies in the reactor core in the Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all the fuel assemblies in the reactor core in the (N+m) th operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly. 3 . The fuel loading method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 9 rows and 9 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns. 4 . The fuel loading method according to claim 2 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 9 rows and 9 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns. 5 . The fuel loading method according to claim 1 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 11 rows and 11 columns. 6 . The fuel loading method according to claim 2 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 11 rows and 11 columns. 7 . The fuel loading method according to claim 1 , wherein the average uranium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average uranium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 8 . The fuel loading method according to claim 2 , wherein the average uranium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average uranium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 9 . The fuel loading method according to claim 1 , wherein the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 10 . The fuel loading method according to claim 2 , wherein the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 11 . A reactor core when transitioning from a first fuel assembly to a second fuel assembly in which at least one of an average uranium enrichment, an average fissile plutonium enrichment, and a fuel rod arrangement is different from that of the first fuel assembly, wherein when all fuel assemblies loaded in a region excluding an outermost periphery of the reactor core in an Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all the fuel assemblies loaded in the region excluding the outermost periphery of the reactor core in a (N+m)th (m>1) operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly, the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in the (N+m) th operation cycle is greater than the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in a (N+m−1)th operation cycle which is one operation cycle before the (N+m)th operation cycle, and a cycle burnup in the (N+m)th operation cycle is greater than a cycle burnup in the (N+m−1)th operation cycle. 12 . The reactor core according to claim 11 , wherein all the fuel assemblies in the reactor core in the Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all the fuel assemblies in the reactor core in the (N+m) th operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly. 13 . The reactor core according to claim 11 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 9 rows and 9 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns. 14 . The reactor core according to claim 12 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 9 rows and 9 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns. 15 . The reactor core according to claim 11 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 11 rows and 11 columns. 16 . The reactor core according to claim 12 , wherein the first fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 10 rows and 10 columns, and the second fuel assembly is a square grid fuel rod array of 11 rows and 11 columns. 17 . The reactor core according to claim 11 , wherein the average uranium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average uranium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 18 . The reactor core according to claim 12 , wherein the average uranium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average uranium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 19 . The reactor core according to claim 11 , wherein the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the first fuel assembly. 20 . The reactor core according to claim 12 , wherein the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the second fuel assembly is higher than the average fissile plutonium enrichment of the first fuel assembly.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

  • G21C5/18Primary

    characterised by the provision of more than one active zone · CPC title

  • G21C3/326Primary

    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

  • Boiling water reactors · CPC title

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What does patent US2020194132A1 cover?
When all fuel assemblies loaded in a region excluding an outermost periphery of the reactor core in an Nth operation cycle belong to the first fuel assembly, and all fuel assemblies loaded in the region excluding the outermost periphery of the reactor core in a (N+m) th (m>1) operation cycle belong to the second fuel assembly, the number of new loaded second fuel assemblies in the (N+m) th oper…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Hitachi Ge Nuclear Energy Ltd
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification G21C5/18. Mapped technology areas include Physics.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Thu Jun 18 2020 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (A1). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).