Fuel elements for nuclear reactors and in nuclear reactors using such elements

Claim 1

A FUEL ELEMENT ASSEMBLY FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL FUEL ELEMENT CHANNELS AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF FUEL ELEMENTS IN EACH OF SAID CHANNELS ARRANGED ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, SAID FUEL ELEMENT CHANNELS HAVING PORTIONS OF ENLARGED DIAMETER ARRANGED AT INTERVALS, LEDGES FORMED AT THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID PORTIONS OF ENLARGED DIAMETER, AND RADIALLY MOVABLE STRUT MEANS ON SAID FUEL ELEMENTS MOVABLE FROM A RETRACTED POSITION TO AN EXTENDED POSITION WHERE SAID STRUT MEANS ENGAGE AN ADJACENT SUPPORTING LEDGE TO PROVIDE AN INDEPENDENT SUPPORT FOR EACH OF SAID FUEL ELEMENTS, GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FUEL ELEMENTS TO MOVE SAID STRUT MEANS TO SAID EXTENDED POSITION AS SAID STRUT MEANS APPROACH SAID ADJACENT SUPPORTING LEDGE, SAID STRUT MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON A CAPTIVE MEMBER WHICH IS SECURED TO THE UPPER END OF EACH OF SAID FUEL ELEMENTS FOR LIMITED AXIAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FUEL ELEMENT, SAID GUIDE MEANS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID FUEL ELEMENT, SAID GUIDE MEANS MOVING SAID STRUT MEANS TO A RETRACTED POSITION AGAINST SAID FUEL ELEMENT WHEN SAID CAPTIVE MEMBER IS MOVED UPWARDLY FROM SAID FUEL ELEMENT, AND, WHEN SAID FUEL ELEMENT IS LOWERED ONTO A SUPPORT IN SAID FUEL CHANNEL WHEREBY SAID CAPTIVE MEMBER IS MOVED DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID FUEL ELEMENT, SAID GUIDE MEANS MOVING SAID STRUT MEANS TO SAID EXTENDED POSITION WHERE SAID STRUT MEANS ENGAGE SAID ADJACENT SUPPORTING LEDGE AND HOLD SAID CAPTIVE MEMBER IN A POSITION SUCH THAT SAID CAPTIVE MEMBER PROVIDES AN INDEPENDENT SUPPORT FOR THE NEXT FUEL ELEMENT TO BE LOWERED INTO SAID FUEL CHANNEL.