Patent ID: 8369475

Claim:
A fuel assembly for a nuclear reactor comprising: a parallel, spaced array of a plurality of elongated nuclear fuel rods supported between a lower nozzle and an upper nozzle and having an axial length along the elongated dimension of the nuclear fuel rods; a plurality of spaced support grids arranged in tandem along the axial length of the fuel rods, between the upper nozzle and the lower nozzle, at least partially enclosing an axial portion of the circumference of each fuel rod within a corresponding support cell of the support grids to maintain a lateral spacing between fuel rods, at least one of the support grids comprising; a plurality of elongated, intersecting straps that define the support cells at the intersection of each four adjacent straps that surround the nuclear fuel rods, a length of each strap along its elongated dimension, between the intersections of the four adjacent straps forming a wall of the corresponding support cell, with each wall of the cells that surround fuel rods having a lower leading edge and an upper trailing edge that are substantially in the plane of the corresponding strap with at least one of the leading edge and the trailing edge extending in between the intersections of adjacent straps at an angle substantially deviating from an angle of an axis of the elongated dimension of the straps and having substantially the same elevation at adjacent intersections.