Bottom spacer grid of a nuclear fuel assembly

• Main Authors: NAM CHAE YOUNG, LEE JIN SUK, WOO HAN GIL, RYU JOO YOUNG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 19.05.2022
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; BLASTING; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; LIGHTING; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; SEPARATION; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; SPRINGS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

The present invention relates to a lower support lattice of a nuclear fuel assembly, which has a foreign substance filtering function and is manufactured by using 3D printing with a high degree of design freedom without sheet metal processing and welding processing. The present invention provides a lower support lattice (100) of a nuclear fuel assembly, wherein rectangular lattice cells (110) having an inner lattice surface (111) form a square lattice, and the lattice cell (110) includes: a spring (120) protruding in a longitudinal direction from each of four inner lattice surfaces (111) so as to support a fuel rod (10); and a net-shaped foreign substance filtering unit (130) protruding in a lateral direction from the four inner lattice surfaces within a predetermined section range (h1) in the longitudinal direction from a lower opening end so as to surround a periphery of the fuel rod (10). 본 발명은 판금 가공 및 용접 가공을 배제하고 설계 자유도가 높은 3D 프린팅을 이용하여 제작이 가능한 이물질 여과 기능을 갖는 핵연료 집합체의 하부 지지격자에 관한 것이다. 본 발명의 핵연료 집합체의 하부 지지격자(100)는, 내측 격자 면(111)을 갖는 사각의 격자 셀(110)들이 정방형 격자(square lattice)를 이루며, 상기 격자 셀(110)은, 4개의 내측 격자 면(111) 각각에 종방향으로 돌출 형성되어 상기 연료봉(10)을 지지하도록 형성된 스프링(120)과; 하측 개구단에서 종방향으로 일정 구간 범위(h1) 내에서 4개의 내측 격자 면에서 횡방향으로 돌출되어 연료봉(10)의 주변을 감싸게 되는 네트 형상의 이물질 여과부(130)를 포함한다.