Fuel element

Claim 2

A NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL ELEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FISSIONABLE NUCLEAR FUEL, AN OUTER SEALED CAN SURROUNDING SAID FISSIONABLE NUCLEAR FUEL, AND A METERIAL WHICH IS FLUID AT THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE FUEL ELEMENT SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID CAN, SAID SURROUNDING SEALED CAN INCLUDING EXPANSION MEANS FOR EQUALIZING THE PRESSURE INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY OF THE FUEL ELEMENT BY EXPANSION OR CONTRACTION THEREOF IN RESPONSE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN OF PRESSURE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF SAID SEALED CAN.

Claim 3

A FUEL ELEMENT DESIGNED FOR VERTICAL DISCRIPOSITION IN A NUCLEAR REACTOR, WHICH FUEL ELEMENT COMPRISES A PLURALITY OF RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINERICAL FISSIONABLE NUCLEAR FUEL COMPACTS EACH OF WHICH HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLE FORMED THERETHOUGH, SAID COMPACTS BEING DISPOSED ONE VERTICALLY ABOVE ANOTHER WITH SAID HOLES IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT, A RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINERICAL NEUTRON REFLECTOR PELLET HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLE FORMEDTHERETHROUGH DISPOSED ABOVE SAID FUEL COMPACTS WITH SAID PELLET HOLE IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FUEL COMPACT HOLES, AN ENLONGATED OUTER SEALED RIGHT CIRCULAR TUBLAR CAN SURROUNDING SAID FUEL COMPACTS AND SAID PELLETS, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR CAN BEING LARGER THAN THE DIAMETERS OF SAID FUEL COMPACTS AND SAID PELLETS TO PROVIDE A PERIPHERIAL GAP THEREBETWEEN, SAID FUEL COMPACT AXIAL HOLE BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PERIPHERAL GAP AT A LOCATION BELOW THE LOWERMOST FUEL COMPACT, SODIUM SUBSANTIALLY FILLING SAID CAN INCLUDING SAID AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLES AND SAID PERIPHERAL GAP, MEANS IN SAID CAN PREVENTING SAID REFLECTOR PELLET AND SAID FUEL COMPACTS FROM MOVING SIGNIFICANTLY UPWARD THEREIN, A POROUS FILTER ELEMENT LOCATED IN SAID TUBLAR CAN VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID FUEL COMPACT, AND CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID AXIAL HOLE IN SAID NEUTRON REFFECTOR THROUGH SSID FILTER TO A POINT THEREABOVE, SAID SURROUNDING SEALED CAN INCLUDING A HOLLOW RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINDRICAL SECTION OF INTERNAL DIAMETER D MADE OF A DUCTILE MATERIAL WHICH SECTION IS DEFORMED INTO AN INTERNAL DUMBBELL CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE HAVING A MAJOR DIMENSION OF ABOUT 1.20 D, A MINOR DIMENSION OF ABOUT 0.20 D AND A RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF ABOUT 0.20 D FOR EACH OF THE ROUNDED ENDS OF THE DUMBBELL, WHEREBY SAID DEFORMED SECTION FLEXES IN RESPONSE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF SAID SEALED CAN TO CHANGE THE TOTAL VOLUME THEREOF, AND WHEREBY IN OPERATION OF THE FUEL ELEMENT A CONVECTION FLOW OF LIQUID SODIUM IS ESTABLISHED UPWARD IN SAID AXIAL HOLES TO A LOCATION ABOVE SAID FILTER AND DOWNWARD THROUGH SAID FILTER INTO SAID PERIPHERIAL GAP.

Claim 4

A FUEL ELEMENT DESIGNED FOR VERTICAL DISCRIPOSITION IN A NUCLEAR REACTOR, WHICH FUEL ELEMENT COMPRISES A PLURALITY OF RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINERICAL FISSIONABLE NUCLEAR FUEL COMPACTS EACH OF WHICH HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLE FORMED THERETHOUGH, SAID COMPACTS BEING DISPOSED ONE VERTICALLY ABOVE ANOTHER WITH SAID HOLES IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT, A RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINERICAL NEUTRON REFLECTOR PELLET HAVING AN AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLE FORMEDTHERETHROUGH DISPOSED ABOVE SAID FUEL COMPACTS WITH SAID PELLET HOLE IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FUEL COMPACT HOLES, AN ENLONGATED OUTER SEALED RIGHT CIRCULAR TUBLAR CAN SURROUNDING SAID FUEL COMPACTS AND SAID PELLETS, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID TUBULAR CAN BEING LARGER THAN THE DIAMETERS OF SAID FUEL COMPACTS AND SAID PELLETS TO PROVIDE A PERIPHERIAL GAP THEREBETWEEN, SAID FUEL COMPACT AXIAL HOLE BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PERIPHERAL GAP AT A LOCATION BELOW THE LOWERMOST FUEL COMPACT, SODIUM SUBSANTIALLY FILLING SAID CAN INCLUDING SAID AXIALLY EXTENDING HOLES AND SAID PERIPHERAL GAP, MEANS IN SAID CAN PREVENTING SAID REFLECTOR PELLET AND SAID FUEL COMPACTS FROM MOVING SIGNIFICANTLY UPWARD THEREIN, A POROUS FILTER ELEMENT LOCATED IN SAID TUBLAR CAN VERTICALLY ABOVE SAID FUEL COMPACT, AND CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID AXIAL HOLE IN SAID NEUTRON REFFECTOR THROUGH SSID FILTER TO A POINT THEREABOVE, SAID SURROUNDING SEALED CAN INCLUDING A HOLLOW RIGHT CIRCULAR CYLINDRICAL SECTION OF INTERNAL DIAMETER D MADE OF A DUCTILE MATERIAL WHICH SECTION IS DEFORMED INTO AN INTERNAL DUMBBELL CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE HAVING A MAJOR DIMENSION OF ABOUT 1.20 D, A MINOR DIMENSION OF ABOUT 0.20 D AND A RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF ABOUT 0.20 D FOR EACH OF THE ROUNDED ENDS OF THE DUMBBELL, WHEREBY SAID DEFORMED SECTION FLEXES IN RESPONSE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN PRESSURE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF SAID SEALED CAN TO CHANGE THE TOTAL VOLUME THEREOF, AND WHEREBY IN OPERATION OF THE FUEL ELEMENT A CONVECTION FLOW OF LIQUID SODIUM IS ESTABLISHED UPWARD IN SAID AXIAL HOLES TO A LOCATION ABOVE SAID FILTER AND DOWNWARD THROUGH SAID FILTER INTO SAID PERIPHERIAL GAP.