Primary Inventor: Thomas Marcille
Contributing Inventor(s): Joseph Rajkumar
Date of Publication: Dec. 21, 2021
Status: Granted
Jurisdiction: US
Equipment Type:
Docket Number: HOL-115
Patent Number: US 11,205,521 B2
Application Number: 15/927,284
Prior Publication Data: US 2018/0277260 A1, Sep. 27, 2018
Related U.S. Application Data: Provisional application No. 62/474,396, filed on Mar. 21, 2017
Abstract: A fuel core for a nuclear reactor in one embodiment includes an upper internals unit and a lower internals unit comprising nuclear fuel assemblies. The assembled fuel core includes an upper core plate, a lower core plate, and a plurality of channel boxes extending therebetween. Each channel box comprises a plurality of outer walls and inner walls collectively defining a longitudinally-extending interior channels or cells having a transverse cross sectional area configured for holding no more than a single nuclear fuel assembly in some embodiments. A cylindrical reflector circumferentially surrounds channel boxes and is engaged at opposing ends by the upper and lower core plates. Adjacent cells within each channel box are formed on opposite sides of inner walls such that the cells are separated from each other by the inner walls alone without any water gaps therebetween which benefits neutronics for some small modular reactor designs.