Spacer grid for a nuclear fuel assembly to reduce flow-induced vibration

• Main Authors: KIM SEONG-SOO, PARK JOON-KYOO, EOM KYONG-BO, HA DONG-GEUN, KIM JIN-SUN, RYU JOO-YOUNG, JEON SANG-YOUN, SUH JUNG-MIN, KWON OH-JOON
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 12.02.2014
• Subjects: GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PHYSICS; REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGYGENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

Disclosed herein is a spacer grid for a nuclear fuel assembly to reduce flow-induced vibration, which can improve a grid strip structure that protects the spacer grid, thereby reducing flow-induced vibration. The spacer grid has dimples for supporting fuel rods and is formed from grid strips which are assembled in a lattice shape to form lattice cells. Each grid strip has at least one hole which is formed separately from the dimples. Therefore, when coolant is drawn into the fuel assembly, a pressure difference between opposite sides of the holes is reduced, and friction generated between cut edges of the holes and the coolant reduces the magnitude of the vibration and causes a damping effect, thus reducing flow-induced vibration. The hole formed in the grid strip function to widen the range of the frequency of the flow-induced vibration caused by vortex sheddings formed around the edges of the grid strip, thus reducing the possibility of the generation of resonance with the natural vibration frequency of the