Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. In combination, a grid and spacer for use in a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor, the fuel assembly including a bottom nozzle, a thimble tube having an end, and a fastener, the fastener being structured to cooperatively connect the bottom nozzle with the thimble tube, the combination comprising:a grid including a plurality of straps interconnected with one another to define at least a first thimble cell, the straps each including a lower edge;a spacer in the form of a plate formed with a hole extending there-through, the plate having a substantially planar engagement surface and a substantially planar retention surface opposite one another, the plate being fixedly mounted on the grid with the engagement surface protruding outwardly from the grid, the engagement surface being structured to be disposed on the bottom nozzle between the edge of the straps defining the first thimble cell and the bottom nozzle to space the grid from the nozzle, the hole being structured to receive at least a portion of the fastener there-through, and the retention surface being structured to receive the end of the thimble tube when the fastener is received through the hole and is cooperatively connected with the thimble tube, wherein a portion of the end of the thimble tube protrudes through the hole to directly contact the bottom nozzle and wherein the portion of the end of the thimble tube that protrudes through the hole is sized to create a space in both an axial and radial direction between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer, so that in a cold condition the spacer does not substantially contact the end of the thimble tube. 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the radial space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is large enough to accommodate any differential in thermal expansion in the radial direction between the spacer material and the nozzle material. 3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the axial space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is approximately between 0.001 and 0.010 inch (0.003 and 0.025 cm). 4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein the axial space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is approximately between 0.001 and 0.002inch (0.003 and 0.005 cm). 5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the straps and the bottom nozzle are constructed from different materials. 6. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spacer and the grid are made of substantially the same material and the spacer is fixedly mounted on the grid by welding. 7. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the spacer and the grid are fixedly mounted on the bottom nozzle with a mechanical coupling. 8. A fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor including:a plurality of elongated nuclear fuel rods having an extended axial length;a lowermost grid supporting said fuel rods in an organized array and having unoccupied spaces defined therein to allow a flow of fluid coolant there-through and past said fuel rods when said fuel assembly is installed in the nuclear reactor;a plurality of guide thimbles extending along said fuel rods and through said lowermost grid;a bottom nozzle is disposed below said grid, below lower ends of said fuel rods and supporting said guide thimbles and permitting the flow of fluid coolant into said fuel assembly, said bottom nozzle comprising a substantially horizontal nozzle plate extending transverse to the axis of the fuel rods and having an upper face directed toward said lowermost grid, said upper face of said nozzle plate having defined there-through a plurality of flow through holes extending completely through said nozzle plate for the passage of the fluid coolant from a lower face of said nozzle plate to the upper face of said nozzle plate, each of said coolant flow through holes in fluid communication with said unoccupied spaces;the lowermost grid including a plurality of straps interconnected with one another to define at least a first guide thimble cell through which one of the guide thimbles is supported, the straps each including a lower edge; anda spacer in the form of a spacer plate formed with a hole extending there-through, the spacer plate having a substantially planar engagement surface and a substantially planar retention surface opposite one another, the spacer plate being fixedly mounted on an underside of the lowermost grid with the engagement surface protruding outwardly from the lowermost grid, the engagement surface being structured to be disposed on the upper face of the bottom nozzle between the edge of the straps defining the first thimble cell and the upper face of the nozzle to space the grid from the nozzle, the hole being structured to receive at least a portion of a fastener there-through, and the retention surface being structured to receive the end of the thimble tube when the fastener is received through the hole and is cooperatively connected with the thimble tube, wherein a portion of the end of the thimble tube protrudes through the hole to directly contact the upper face of the bottom nozzle and wherein the portion of an end of the thimble tube that protrudes through the hole is sized to create a space in both an axial and radial direction between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer, so that in a cold condition the spacer does not substantially contact the end of the thimble tube. 9. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein the radial space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is large enough to accommodate any differential in thermal expansion between the spacer material, the nozzle material and the end of the thimble tube. 10. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein the axial space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is approximately between 0.001 and 0.010 inch (0.003 and 0.025 cm). 11. The combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein the space between the end of the thimble tube and the spacer is approximately between 0.001 and 0.002 inch (0.003 and 0.005 cm). 12. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein the straps and the bottom nozzle are constructed from different materials. 13. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein the spacer and the grid are made of substantially the same material and the spacer is fixedly mounted on the grid by welding. 14. The combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein the spacer and the grid are fixedly mounted on the bottom nozzle with a mechanical coupling.