Bachman & LaPointe, P.C.
Spacer grid with multi-springs and dimple vanes for nuclear fuel assemblies
 A nuclear fuel spacer grid, fabricated by intersecting a plurality of grid strips and used for placing and supporting a plurality of elongated fuel rods within a nuclear fuel assembly, is disclosed. The spacer grid of this invention has a plurality of dimple vanes on its grid strips. The dimple vanes are designed to guide the coolant from one cell to neighboring cells of the spacer grid, thus accomplishing a desired coolant mixing effect and increasing the thermal allowance of the fuel rods and accomplishing a high performance fuel assembly. The spacer grid also has a multi-spring structure, consist in of one arc-shaped main spring and two bow-shaped sub-springs. The main spring directly supports the fuel rod within the spacer grid, while the sub-springs have the same radius of curvature as that of the external surface of the fuel rod and effectively support the fuel rod when the main spring fails to support the fuel rod. The spacer grid of this invention thus accomplishes desired soundness of the fuel rods within the fuel assembly during an expected life span of the fuel rods. 
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Korea Electric Power Corporation
Y G G
Y02E G21C G21C
additional inventional inventional
Wangkee Youn Ho Keenam Taehyun Heungseok Dongseok Kyungho
In Jung Song Chun Kang Oh Yoon