Patent Number: 040381358
Section: claims

1. A plate-type nuclear fuel element comprising a core having a base of ceramic fuel material enclosed between two metallic cladding plates, wherein the fuel core is constituted by the juxtaposed array of a plurality of thin wafers of a ceramic fuel material, said wafers each having a geometric shape such that their planar juxtaposed assembly serves to form said plate-type nuclear fuel element which does not have any vacant spaces, at least a number of said wafers being provided with an individual metallic protection constituted by covering at least the lateral perimeters of said wafers with a thin metallic covering prior to assembly of said wafers to form said plate-type nuclear fuel element, said thin metallic covering having a contributory function in the assembly of cladding the wafers and dividing said plate-type nuclear fuel element into compartments. 2. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the protection of each wafer of ceramic fuel material is provided laterally by means of a thin metallic strip. 3. A fuel element according to claim 2, wherein the thin metallic strip has a thickness within the range of 0.1 to 0.5 mm. 4. A fuel element according to claim 2, wherein the thin metallic strip is constituted by two strip components bent in the shape of a U, said components being fitted one inside the other along the sides of the wafer and secured by spot welds. 5. A fuel element according to claim 2, wherein the thin metallic strip is formed by winding at least one turn of metallic ribbon around the lateral perimeter of each wafer, said metallic ribbon being of small thickness within the range of 0.05 to 0.2 mm. 6. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the individual protection of each wafer is provided by means of a sheet of thin metallic foil which completely surrounds said wafer. 7. A nuclear fuel element according to claim 6, wherein metallic partition-strips are interposed between the protected fuel wafers in such a manner as to ensure that two adjacent fuel wafers are separated by the whole or a part of a metallic partition-strip. 8. A nuclear fuel element according to claim 6, wherein any two adjacent rows of protected fuel wafers are separated by a metallic partition-strip which extends along the entire length of said element. 9. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the framed wafers of fuel material are aligned in a single row so as to form a narrow plate unit of substantial length between two top and bottom metallic cladding plates. 10. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the material constituting the independent and individual covering of each wafer is selected from the group comprising zirconium and the zirconium alloys. 11. A nuclear fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic fuel material is uranium dioxide. 12. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the ceramic fuel material is loaded with a burnable neutron poison. 13. A fuel element according to claim 1, wherein the cladding material is selected from the group comprising zirconium and the zirconium alloys. 14. A fuel element according to claim 7, wherein the metallic partition-strips are formed of material which is identical with that of the fuel element cladding.