Nuclear fuel rod assembly with integral shock absorber

摘要

A nuclear fuel rod assembly for a light water reactor comprises a bundle of fuel pins (2) held parallel w.r.t each other by upper (7) and lower (8) end plates, an outer cover (1), and beneath the lower end plate an axial shock absorber (11), where the novelties are that:- the outer cover (1) extends over almost the full axial length of, and creates a chamber around the shock absorber (11), and acts as a guide tube for the incoming coolant; the support ring (20) forms both the lower end of the fuel rod assembly and the inlet orifice for the coolant; and the lower end plate (8) is connected by a distance piece (10) to the upper end of the shock absorber (11).