SPACER GRID AND METHOD FOR SPACER GRID MANUFACTURE

• Main Authors: VERESHCHAK V.G, SIMAKOV G.A, SHMELEV V.D, DRAGUNOV JU.G, VASIL'CHENKO I.N, IVANOV A.V, PANJUSHKIN A.K, NUGAEV E.KH, PETROV I.V, BABENKO JU.N, MESHKOV S.A, AKSENOV P.M, KURSKOV V.S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: 20.07.2005
• Edition: 7
• 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

FIELD: nuclear power engineering. ^ SUBSTANCE: proposed method concerns manufacture of spacer grids used for holding fuel elements within fuel assemblies, especially uncanned ones (VVER-1000 or PWK reactors). Spacer grid has shaped subchannels joined together over their mating surfaces provided with mounting areas for joining shaped subchannels. Mounting areas are calibrated to desired size of outer surface of each shaped subchannel by plastic deformation on their inner surface end. Original subchannels used for the purpose are blanks whose mean desired size of outer surface is 0.72 to 0.99 of desired size of shaped subchannel outer surface. ^ EFFECT: reduced curvature of fuel assembly, enhanced capability of increasing subchannel pitch, reduced clearance between fuel elements. ^ 4 cl, 4 dwg