Abstract: The lower end of each of a plurality of fuel rods is supported by a fuel supporting portion of a lower tie plate. The fuel supporting portion includes a plurality of second coolant paths for supplying a coolant from below the fuel supporting portion to a first coolant path defined above the fuel supporting portion and between the fuel rods. The total cross-sectional area of all the second coolant paths is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first coolant path.

Abstract: The lower end of each of a plurality of fuel rods is supported by a fuel supporting portion of a lower tie plate. The fuel supporting portion includes a plurality of second coolant paths for supplying a coolant from below the fuel supporting portion to a first coolant path defined above the fuel supporting portion and between the fuel rods. The total cross-sectional area of all the second coolant paths is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first coolant path.

Abstract: A fuel assembly is provided with a coolant ascending path for making coolant rise and a water rod having a coolant descending path for conducting the coolant.A ratio of a flow area in a coolant inlet port of the smallest in coolant ascending path 13 on the downstream side than large diameter tube portion 3E to a flow area of the largest in the axial direction of coolant ascending path 13 in large diameter tube portion 3E is set to be 0.2-20%.In the normal operation, the declination degree from the liquid level in the coolant ascending path, corresponding to the coolant flow rate of the liquid level formed in the coolant ascending path can be controlled. Further, at the time of the excess the change speed of the liquid level can also be controlled.

Abstract: A fuel assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods, tie plates for holding both ends of these fuel rods, and spacers which support these fuel rods. The spacer comprises a plurality of cells into which the fuel rods are inserted respectively, the adjacent cells being joined to each other at axial ends thereof, whereby a space between these cells being held or retained, and a plurality of loop springs held respectively on the cells. Each of the loop springs has a pair of resilient members which are located within the pair of adjacent cells and which urge the fuel rods in a radial direction, and a pair of connections which connect axial ends of the resilient members to each other. Each of the connections have a passage through which coolant flows axially and which is defined by a closed peripheral wall. The closed peripheral wall is not uniform in thickness. The pair of adjacent cells have at axial end portions of peripheral walls openings for accommodating or receiving the connections of the loop spring.

Abstract: A fuel assembly comprises fuel rods arrayed in a square lattice pattern of 10 rows and 10 columns, and three large-diameter water rods arranged along a diagonal line of the fuel assembly in such a region as able to accommodate 10 fuel rods. Partial length fuel rods are arranged in an outermost layer of the fuel rod array at fuel rod setting positions other than corners of the outermost layer. Ordinary fuel rods are arranged in a layer inside the outermost layer and adjacent to the outermost layer at positions adjacent to the partial length fuel rods in the outermost layer.The struction of the fuel assembly enables a reduction in the void coefficient and an improvement in the reactivity control capability. Also, the void coefficient can be reduced without lowering reactivity, and fuel economy is improved.

Abstract: A mean uranium enrichment of fuel rods is set to not less than 4 wt% and preferably 4.25%, a percentage in number of Gd rods to all the fuel rods is set in the range of 20 to 30% and preferably 23%, and an enrichment 4.45 wt% of the Gd rods is between a pellet maximum uranium enrichment and a pellet minimum uranium enrichment. A percentage in number of those fuel rods having a maximum uranium enrichment of 5.0% to all the fuel rods except the Gd rods is set to not less than 75% and preferably 82%. A mean uranium enrichment in the enriched fuel section except blanket regions at upper and lower end portions is 4.75 wt% and a ratio e.sub.max /e.sub.mean of the pellet maximum uranium enrichment to that mean uranium enrichment is not larger than 1.16 and preferably 1.105. Accordingly, when the maximum uranium enrichment is limited to 5.0 wt%, the mean uranium enrichment can be raised to attain mean discharged exposure not less than 45 GWd/t without causing any problems in gadolinia containing fuel rods.

Abstract: A plurality of fuel rods containing fissile material are arranged in triangle lattices. A plurality of water rods groups are arranged among the fuel rods. Each of the water rods groups includes no fuel rod but a plurality of water rods which are arranged adjacently each other in triangle lattices having substantially same pitch as the fuel rods. The water rods groups are arranged not adjacently each other, and are surrounded with the fuel rods. the outer diameter of the water rod is smaller than the pitch. The fuel assembly is able to suppress increment of pressure loss because of formation of coolant path among adjacent water rods. Further, void reactivity coefficient is able to be small.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel assembly for a BWR comprises a plurality of fuel rods, a polygonal channel box surrounding the fuel rods, a plurality of spacers axially spaced from each other and each keeping the fuel rods laterally spaced from each other, and a plurality of vanes disposed only in a region at and around a corner within the channel box, for generating swirling flows in the region to thicken a liquid film on each fuel rod in the region.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel assembly has an array of fuel rods comprising a plurality of first fuel rods each containing nuclear fuel material but not containing burnable poison and a plurality of further fuel rods each containing both nuclear fuel material and burnable poison. The further fuel rods comprise second fuel rods and third fuel rods, and each second fuel rod has at a lower region of the fuel assembly a burnable poison concentration which is a minimum burnable poison concentration in the further fuel rods. To increase the effectiveness of the second fuel rods in controlling axial power peaking, as seen in plan view on the array, the first fuel rods are the nearest neighbors of each further fuel rod.

Abstract: A nuclear fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor has a plurality of vertically extending fuel rods arranged side by side in a square array and containing fissile material. The array has two adjacent first sides which are next to a control rod region of the core and two adjacent second sides which are next to a non-control rod region of the core.

Abstract: A fuel assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods which contain nuclear fuel material inside, a lower tie plate which holds the lower end of the fuel rods and has a path inside to lead coolant between the fuel rods, and a channel box which encloses a bundle of the fuel rods. An orifice, in which a plurality of round rods are arranged to cross the coolant flow path, is installed in a through hole at a side wall of the lower tie plate by connecting to the side wall. Orifice coefficient of the orifice becomes large at small flow rate of coolant which supplied to the fuel assembly, and becomes small at large flow rate of coolant. By using the fuel assembly described above, void fraction in a gap region between fuel assemblies can be altered during beginning and end of an operation cycle of the nuclear reactor.

Abstract: A fuel assembly has a plurality of first fuel rods each of which contains nuclear fuel material but does not contain burnable poison, and a plurality of second fuel rods each of which includes nuclear fuel material and burnable poison. The amount of burnable poison in a lower region of the fuel assembly is smaller than that in an upper region thereof. When each of the second fuel rods is divided into an upper region and a lower region, a region of the divided regions in the second fuel rods containing a maximum burnable poison concentration Gmax and a region of the divided regions in the second fuel rods containing a minimum burnable poison concentration Gmin are located in the lower region of the fuel assembly. The burnable poison concentration of the upper region of each second fuel rod is between Gmax and Gmin. The fuel assembly may moderate a maximum linear heat rating with an increased spectral shift effect.

Abstract: A fuel assembly of the present invention comprises a plurality of fuel rods which are held by an upper tie plate and lower tie plate at the ends thereof and a moderating rod which is arranged between the fuel rods and held by the lower tie plate at its lower end. The fuel rods are arranged in a lattice form having 9 rows and 9 columns, and the moderating rod contains a passage for a coolant and has a cruciate cross-sectional form. The ratio A.sub.M /A.sub.C of the area A.sub.M of a moderator region in the moderating rod in the cross-sectional plane in which the moderator is present to the area A.sub.C of the coolant passages in said fuel assembly is within the range of 0.07 to 0.11, and the area A.sub.M is 75% or more of the total area of the fuel lattice units in which none of the fuel rods is arranged, but the moderating rod is arranged.

Abstract: In a light water moderation type nuclear reactor with the once-through method, the reactor core is divided into a central area and a peripheral area by a partition member, a first fuel assembly is arranged in the central area (high conversion area) and a second fuel assembly is arranged in the peripheral area. The ratio (r.sub.H/U) of the number of hydrogen atoms to that of uranium atoms in the central area is smaller than that of the ratio in the peripheral area and the second fuel assembly in the peripheral area is formed of fuel rods of the first fuel assembly having been previously burned in the central area and moved into the peripheral area. The plutonium production increases and uranium consumption is reduced during the first half of the lifetime of the fuel rods in the high conversion area with the take-up burn up increasing during the second half of the lifetime of the fuel rods in the burner area.

Abstract: A fuel assembly comprises a channel box, upper and lower tie plates fixed to the upper and lower portion of the channel box and a bundle of fuel rods enclosed in the channel box and retained by the upper and lower tie plates. The bundle of fuel rods includes ordinary fuel rods containing fissile material not containing gadolinia, and gadolinia-containing rods each containing gadolinia therein and having a larger outer diameter than that of the ordinary fuel rod. The gadolinia-containing rod has pellets enclosed in a closed cladding, and the outer diameters of the pellets also are larger than these of fuel pellets of the ordinary fuel rods.

Abstract: A fuel assembly comprises a plurality of fuel rods, moderator rods disposed among the fuel rods, upper and lower tie plates for holding both end portions of the fuel rods and the moderator rods, and fuel spacers for keeping distances between the fuel rods and the moderator rods constant. The fuel assembly is characterized in that there is provided a space region extending from the upper tie plate to the lower tie plate and having a space enough to dispose at least one of the fuel rods. At least one of the moderator rods being disposed adjacent to the space region. The fuel rods, the moderator rods, and the space region are disposed in a grid form.

Abstract: A fuel assembly is composed of first fuel rods containing nuclear fuel material and burnable poison material and second fuel rods containing nuclear fuel material but no burnable poison material. The fuel assembly is charged in a high conversion area of a boiling water type nuclear reactor having a reactor core having the high conversion area and a burner area surrounding the high conversion area. A ratio V.sub.C /V.sub.F is not greater than 1.5 in the fuel assembly where V.sub.C is the volume occupied by coolant flow paths and V.sub.F is the volume occupied by the nuclear fuel material per unit length in an axial direction of the fuel assembly. In addition, the burnable poison material is composed of neutron absorption nuclides having at least one resonant energy in a neutron energy region of one electron volt or less.

Abstract: In the operation of a boiling water reactor, when the core flow rate is decreased due to a trip of the circulating pump, the control rod pattern is suitably changed to avoid unnecessary scram of the control rods. The change of the control rod pattern is made by driving control rods which have been inserted to small depth deeper into a depth near 12/24 of the core height. In addition to this control rod operation, the control rods which have been inserted to large depth are withdrawn to a depth near 12/24 or, alternatively, the control rods which have not been inserted at all are inserted to the depth of about 12/24 of the core height.