Abstract: The invention refers to a device and a method for handling a fuel assembly (3), which comprises a number of fuel rods extending between a lower part and an upper part of the fuel assembly, a debris filter located in the lower part of the fuel assembly and a casing surrounding the fuel rods. The device comprises a lifting device (15) for engaging, during a lifting operation, a fuel assembly located in a reactor vessel (1) and lifting the fuel assembly upwards and out from the reactor vessel. A conduit member is connected to the upper part of the fuel assembly. A pump (32) creates a flow of water through the conduit member and the fuel assembly during the lifting operation. The flow has such a size that possible debris particles contained in and/or immediately beneath the debris filter at least are retained in and/or immediately beneath the debris filter during the iifting operation.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of producing a cladding tube for nuclear fuel for a nuclear boiling water reactor. According to the method, a tube is formed which comprises an outer cylindrical component (10) mainly containing zirconium and an inner cylindrical component (20) metallurgically bonded to the outer component (10), wherein also the inner component (20) at least mainly contains zirconium. The inner component (20) has a lower recrystallization temperature than the outer component (10). The cladding tube is final annealed at a temperature and during a time such that the inner component (20) substantially completely recrystallizes and such that the outer component (10) partly recrystallizes but to a lower extent than the inner component (20). The invention also concerns a cladding tube, a fuel assembly for a boiling water reactor as well as the use of a cladding tube.

Abstract: In a nuclear fuel rod a cladding tube is provided having a closed inner space and manufactured from at least one of the materials in the group zirconium and a zirconium-based alloy, and a pile of nuclear fuel pellets arranged in the inner space in the cladding tube. The nuclear fuel pellets fill part of the inner space. A fill gas is arranged in the closed inner space to fill the rest of the inner space. The internal pressure of the fill gas in the nuclear fuel rod amounts to at least 2 bar (abs) or at least 10 bar (abs). The fill gas contains a proportion of inert gas a proportion of carbon monoxide that is greater than 3 volume percent of the fill gas or greater than 2 volume percent of the fill gas.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a sheet metal for use in a boiling water nuclear reactor and such a sheet metal. The method includes providing a material of a zirconium alloy that includes zirconium, and whose main alloying materials include niobium. The material is annealed so that essentially all niobium containing secondary phase particles are transformed to ?-niobium particles.

Abstract: A method of producing a cladding tube for nuclear fuel for a nuclear pressure water reactor includes forming a tube which at least principally consists of a cylindrical tube component of a zirconium-based alloy, where the alloying element, except for zirconium, which has the highest content in the alloy is niobium, wherein the niobium content in weight percent is between about 0.5 and about 2.4 and wherein no alloying element, except for zirconium and niobium, in the alloy, has a content which exceeds about 0.2 weight percent. The cladding tube is then annealed such that the tube component is partly but not completely recrystallized. The degree of recrystallization in the tube component is higher than about 40% and lower than about 95%. A fuel assembly for a nuclear pressure water reactor also has a plurality of such cladding tubes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control rod blade for a boiling water reactor. The control rod blade comprises a plurality of channels, which are arranged to receive an absorber material, a free edge portion with a recess, which comprises outlets for said channels, and a cover element , which is arranged to be attached by means of at least one welding operation such that it seals at least a part of said recess . Furthermore, the control rod blade comprises a profile element , which, before said welding operation of the cover element is performed, is arranged to be applied against a bottom surface in the recess in a position such that the profile element covers the outlets of said channels.

Abstract: A method of producing a cladding tube for nuclear fuel for a nuclear pressure water reactor includes forming a tube which at least principally consists of a cylindrical tube component of a zirconium-based alloy, where the alloying element, except for zirconium, which has the highest content in the alloy is niobium, wherein the niobium content in weight percent is between about 0.5 and about 2.4 and wherein no alloying element, except for zirconium and niobum, in the alloy, has a content which exceeds about 0.2 weight percent. The cladding tube is then annealed such that the tube component is partly but not completely recrystallized. The degree of recrystallization in the tube component is higher than about 40% and lower than about 95%. A fuel assembly for a nuclear pressure water reactor also has a plurality of such cladding tubes.

Abstract: The invention concerns a system suited for carrying out eddy current measurements on components for nuclear reactors when these components are located in water. The system comprises a control unit, a measurement probe and a first cable suited to constitute at least a part of the connection between the control unit and the measurement probe. The system also comprises a switching unit, suited to be located in water and arranged to be connected with said first cable, and to be connected with the measurement probe. The switching unit has a switching device which can assume at least a first and a second state. In the first state, the first cable is connected with the measurement probe. In the second state, the first cable is not connected with the measurement probe. The invention also concerns the use of the system.

Abstract: The invention refers to a spacer for holding a number if elongated fuel rods intended to be located in a nuclear plant and to a fuel unit having such spacers. The spacer encloses a number of cells, which each has a longitudinal axis and is arranged to receive a fuel rod in such a way that the fuel rod extends in parallel with the longitudinal axis. Each cell is formed by a sleeve-like member. Each sleeve-like member is manufactured in a sheet-shaped material that is bent to the sleeve-like shape.

Abstract: The invention refers to a spacer for holding a number of elongated fuel rods intended to be located in a nuclear plant, and a fuel unit with such spacers. The spacer encloses a number of cells for receiving a respective fuel rod extending in parallel to a longitudinal axis of the respective cell. Each cell is formed by a sleeve-like member having an upper edge and a lower edge. The sleeve-like member includes a number of abutment surfaces projecting inwardly towards and extending substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis for abutment to the fuel rod the cell. The lower edge and the upper edge have, seen transversely to the longitudinal axis, a wave-like shape with wave peaks, aligned with a respective one of said abutment surfaces, and wave valleys located between two adjacent ones of said abutment surfaces.

Abstract: A reactor of a nuclear plant encloses a core having a plurality of fuel elements and a number of control rods. Each fuel element includes a plurality of fuel rods each including a cladding and nuclear fuel enclosed in an inner space of the cladding. Each control rod is insertable to and extractable from a respective position between or in respective fuel elements to influence the effect of the reactor. A method for operating the reactor includes operating the reactor at a normal effect during a normal state, monitoring the reactor for detecting a defect on the cladding of any fuel rod, reducing the effect of the reactor after the detection of a defect, operating the reactor during a particular state during a time period during which the reactor at least during a part time is operated at the reduced effect in relation to the normal effect, and extracting the inserted control rods after the time period for continuing operation of the reactor at substantially the normal state.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control rod for a nuclear plant. The control rod is arranged to be provided in a fuel assembly of the nuclear plant and to be in contact with cooling water. The control rod comprises at least an inner space which is adapted to receive an absorber material for allowing absorption of neutrons during operation of the nuclear plant. The absorber material allows formation of at least one gaseous substance during said absorption process. The control rod comprises at least a filter member having a material structure which allows passage of the gaseous substance out from the space at the same time as the material structure prevents a passage of surrounding cooling water into the space.

Abstract: A zirconium-based alloy, suitable for use in a corrosive environment, where it is subjected to increased radiation and comprises 0.5-1.6 percentage by weight Nb and 0.3-0.6 percentage by weight Fe. The alloy is characterised in that it comprises 0.5-0.85 percentage by weight Sn.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a component (1) comprising an element (2), which contains zirconium or a zirconium alloy and which has a surface (3) on which a corrosion protective layer (4) is formed, the oxide layer (4) comprising zirconium oxide. The component (1) is intended to be in an oxidising environment (6) and said oxide layer (4) has an outer surface (5) towards said oxidising environment (6). The element (2) comprises a layer (10), that borders said surface (3) and comprises hydrogen and at least one metal from the group of lanthanum elements and/or from the group platinum metals and/or yttrium which in its elemental form or as an oxide have the ability to effectively dissociate oxygen and H2O. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the component (1) and a nuclear facility comprising the component (1).

Abstract: The invention refers to a method for operating a nuclear light water reactor during an operation cycle including a cardinal cycle and a number of successive control rod cycles. The reactor includes a plurality of elongated fuel units containing a nuclear fuel in the form a fissible material, a burnable absorber, and a plurality of control rods introduceable in a respective control rod position. Substantially all control rods are introduced in the core before the reactor is started and an operation cycle is initiated. The reactor is operated during the cardinal cycle with a first control rod configuration with a first group of control rods at least partly introduced and the remaining control rods extracted. The reactor is operated during the subsequent control rod cycles with a respective control rod configuration which each includes a different group of control rods at least partly introduced, wherein the cardinal cycle is substantially longer than each of the subsequent control rod cycles.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method of producing and treating a sheet suited to be used as a component or as a part of a component in a fuel assembly for a nuclear light water reactor, which method comprises: a) producing a sheet of a Zr-based alloy by forging, hot rolling and cold rolling in a suitable number of steps, b) carrying out an ?+? quenching or a ? quenching of the sheet when the sheet has been produced to a thickness which is equal to or almost equal to the final thickness of the finished sheet, c) heat treating the sheet in the ?-phase temperature range of said alloy, wherein the sheet is stretched during the heat treatment according to step c). The invention also concerns a use of a sheet that is produced and treated according to this method, and to methods and fuel assemblies of which said sheet forms a part.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible fitting solution for a portable device for inputting control signals to a peripheral unit, which includes a holding member designed to be attached to a hand of a user of the device so as to retain the device in a predetermined manner on the hand. The holding member comprises at least one elongated portion and at least one curved portion connected thereto. A side of the holding member that faces the user's hand when the device is attached to the hand includes a padding module. The padding module, in turn, includes at least one pad cushion adapted to fit the device to the user's hand. The padding module is removably fastened to the holding member by means of a set of fastening members, which secure the padding module in a fastened position. By selecting an appropriate padding module, each user of the device may obtain a good fit of the device onto his/her hand.

Abstract: In a nuclear fuel rod a cladding tube is provided having a closed inner space and manufactured from at least one of the materials in the group zirconium and a zirconium-based alloy, and a pile of nuclear fuel pellets arranged in the inner space in the cladding tube. The nuclear fuel pellets fill part of the inner space. A fill gas is arranged in the closed inner space to fill the rest of the inner space. The internal pressure of the fill gas in the nuclear fuel rod amounts to at least 2 bar (abs) or at least 10 bar (abs). The fill gas contains a proportion of inert gas a proportion of carbon monoxide that is greater than 3 volume percent of the fill gas or greater than 2 volume percent of the fill gas.