Patent ID: 6816563
Filing Date: 2004-11-09
Classification: G21C,Y02E

Abstract:
A fuel assembly for a nuclear light water reactor, comprising a plurality of fuel rods (19, 40) which constitute parallel elongated elements, and at least one spacer, which is designed such that it forms a plurality of cells (10) for holding at least said parallel elongated elements which are arranged such that they extend through the cells or for allowing these elements to pass through the cells, wherein each of said cells (10) is defined by a plurality of side portions (12) which together surrounds one of said elongated elements when such an element is arranged such that it extends through the spacer, wherein the spacer is arranged in said fuel assembly such that said cells (10), and thereby said elongated elements, extend in essentially a first direction (14) in which a cooling medium is intended to flow, wherein each cell (10) thus comprises a first end (16) which is intended to be positioned upstream with regard to said first direction (14) and a second end (18) which is intended to be positioned downstream with regard to said first direction (14), wherein for at least one of said cells (10) it is the case that at least one of said side portions (12) which define the cell (10) comprises at least one flow-influencing member (20) which is formed by a part of said side portion (12) and which is folded out from the side portion (12) along a folding line (30) that is essentially straight and forms an angle (a) of between 10Â° and 40Â° with said first direction (14), said flow-influencing member being folded out between 40Â° and 80Â° from said side portion (12), wherein said side portion (12) from which said flow-influencing member (20) is folded out comprises a first (22) and a second (24) edge surface which are connected to each other, which edge surfaces (22, 24) have different principal directions of extension which correspond to the directions of a first (26) and a second (28) edge of said flow-influencing member (20) in a non folded out state of the flow-influencing member (20), characterised in that said first edge surface (22) extends from said second end (18) of the cell (10) and has an extension in at least said first direction (14), in that said second edge surface (24) extends from that end of said first edge surface (22) that is positioned upstream and has an extension in at least a direction which is perpendicular to said first direction (14), and that said flow-influencing member (20) has such an extension that it does not reach to said fuel rods (19, 40), wherein said flow-influencing member (20) is designed and arranged such that the whole flow-influencing member (20) is positioned between said first (16) and second end (18) of the cell (10).