LOADING DIFFERENT-SIZED SPHERES OF NUCLEAR FUEL INTO A FUEL ROD SHEATH

摘要

A feeding apparatus for the loading of the spherical nuclear fuel into a fuel rod (2) feeds fuel of three differfent diameters into a fuel rod (2) so that the three different sized spheres are appropriately packed to achieve sufficient density of fuel to be used in a nuclear reactor. This is achieved by individually controlling the delivery flow rate of the nuclear fuel spheres of each size, using gates (114) defining an opening of a preselected width (w) and height (h).