grille de maintien des éléments combustibles

CONT: The present invention relates to a modular nuclear fuel element, which can be adapted by an assembly system allowing it to be used in different nuclear power plants with horizontal and vertical cooling channels. The module is a cluster of parallel fuel rods mounted as circular concentric crowns and supported by a structural system. It has a single diameter fuel rod array where the ratio of the heat transfer area to the transverse rod area is higher than 330. It also has self-supporting fuel element spacer grids, which are collapsible sheaths attached to them with fewer than 13 welded end stoppers.