Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method to reduce friction and physical contact between an outer surface of a fuel rod and a support grid in a fuel rod assembly of a nuclear reactor during loading of the fuel rod into the support grid, comprising:applying to the outer surface of the fuel rod a lubricant composition to form a film thereon, said lubricant composition comprising polyalkylene glycol; andloading the fuel rod having said film applied thereon into the support grid of the fuel rod assembly,wherein the friction and physical contact between the outer surface of the fuel rod and the support rid loading is reduced as a result of the film formed on the outer surface of the fuel rod. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lubricant composition further comprises a solvent. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the solvent is water. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the lubricant composition and the water are combined to form a lubricant-water mixture and the lubricant-water mixture is maintained at a temperature of less than 140° F. for the applying to the outer surface of the fuel rod. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the lubricant composition has a viscosity of greater than about 1050 cSt at 40° C. and 178 cSt at 100° C. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the film has a thickness of from 0.0005 inch to 0.0015 inch. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:washing the fuel rod having said film applied thereon and loaded into the support grid of the fuel rod assembly to substantially remove the lubricant composition; andinserting the fuel rod having said lubricant composition substantially removed therefrom into the nuclear reactor. 8. A method for loading a coated fuel rod into a support grid of a fuel rod assembly for a nuclear reactor to reduce friction and physical contact between an outer surface of the fuel rod and the support grid, and for inserting the fuel rod into the nuclear reactor so as to substantially reduce an amount of coating composition from contacting reactor coolant in the nuclear reactor, comprising:applying to the outer surface of the fuel rod a lubricant composition to form a film thereon, said lubricant composition comprising polyalkylene glycol;loading the fuel rod having said film applied thereon into the support grid of the fuel rod assembly;washing the fuel rod having said film applied thereon and loaded into the support grid of the fuel rod assembly to substantially remove the lubricant composition; andinserting the fuel rod having said lubricant composition substantially removed therefrom into the nuclear reactor.