Abrégé

A nuclear reactor fuel assembly includes a plurality of fuel rods, a plurality of guide channels, two nozzles, one of which has a bearing plate with openings, elements for the detachable connection of the nozzles to the guide channels, a detachable connection locking device and locking device fasteners. The elements for the detachable connection of the nozzles to the guide channels have a cross-section size greater than the size of openings in the nozzle bearing plate.

Classes IPC  ?

• G21C 3/33 - Moyens pour supporter ou suspendre des éléments dans le faisceauMoyens faisant partie du faisceau pour l'insérer dans le cœur ou l'en extraireMoyens de couplage de faisceaux adjacents
• G21C 3/334 - Assemblage des faisceaux

Abrégé

The invention relates to the art of nuclear engineering, and more particularly to the design of fuel assemblies, and can be used in pressurized water reactors. The present invention addresses the technical problem of creating a fuel assembly which is easier to load and unload, reduces the time required for the mounting and removal of the bottom nozzles during manufacture of the fuel assembly, and reduces the length of the reactor refueling process. The technical result is the creation of a device with no removable components which makes it possible to secure the bottom nozzles in all of the guide channels simultaneously and to exclude welding seams, thus reducing the mounting and removal time of the bottom nozzles, increasing manufacturability, simplifying and accelerating the fuel assembly manufacturing process and reducing the overall downtime of a nuclear reactor during repair of a fuel assembly at the time of refueling. This technical result is achieved in that in the nuclear reactor fuel assembly, which comprises a bundle of fuel rods, guide channels, two bottom nozzles, one of which has a bearing plate with openings, elements for the detachable connection of the bottom nozzles to the guide channels, a detachable connection locking device and a locking device fastening means, the elements for the detachable connection of the bottom nozzles to the guide channels have a cross-section size greater than the size of the openings in the bottom nozzle bearing plate. Furthermore, the elements for the detachable connection of the bottom nozzles to the guide channels are designed such that the cross-section thereof can be decreased to enable passage through the openings in the bottom nozzle bearing plate, and are secured in the guide channels. The locking device is provided with bushes which secure the elements for the detachable connection of the bottom nozzles to the guide channels, said bushes being disposed in the openings in the bottom nozzle bearing plate. Furthermore, the locking device can be disposed in two bottom nozzles simultaneously. The means for fastening the locking device to the bearing plate is in the form of spring-loaded screws. The bushes of the locking device are configured as a single component. The proposed design makes it possible to reduce the duration of operations for the manufacture and repair of a fuel assembly as a result of the possibility of securing one or both bottom nozzles in all of the guide channels simultaneously and because of the exclusion of removable components. It also provides increased manufacturability by reducing the number of fastening elements and simplifying the design thereof.

Classes IPC  ?

• G21C 3/33 - Moyens pour supporter ou suspendre des éléments dans le faisceauMoyens faisant partie du faisceau pour l'insérer dans le cœur ou l'en extraireMoyens de couplage de faisceaux adjacents