Carbon-trap alloys for liquid sodium

Claim 1

IN A SODIUM NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTAINING AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL COMPONENTS SUBJECT TO DAMAGE DUE TO CARBURIZATION DURING SODIUM CIRCULATION, A METAL FOR TRAPPING CRBON AND THEREBY PREVENTING DAMAGE TO COMPONENTS DUE TO CARBURIZATION COMPRISING A BINARY ALLOY IN WHICH CARBON DIFFUSION IS FASTER THAN IN AUSTENITIC STEELS AND WHICH CONTAINS AN ACTIVE CARBIDE FORMER, SAID BINARY ALLOY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF FE AND A SECOND ELEMENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF 0.5 TO 30 WT,% V, AND 0.5 TO 5 WT.% MN. AND RECEIVING THEREIN SAID FUEL ELEMENTS TO MAINTAIN THEM IN A VERTICALLY EXTENDING POSITION BETWEEN END FITTINGS; MEANS ASSOICATED WITH SAID UPPER CORE ALIGNMENT STRUCTURE AND SAID UPPER END FITTINGS FOR LATERALLY RESTRAINING EACH OF SAID FUEL ASSEMBLIES WHILE ALLOWING LIMITED AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREOF: A PLURALIGY OF ALIIGNMENT POSTS AFFIXED TO EACH OF SAID LOWER END FITTINGS AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM; A POST ENGAGING MEANS, ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID ALIGNMENT POSTS, AFFIXED TO AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID LOWER CORE SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR SLIDABLE RECEIVING AND LATERALLY RESTRAINING SAID ALIGNMENT POSTS, SAID POST ENGAGING MEANS INCLUDING A SPRING CONTAINMENT SECTION HAVING SPRING RETAINING MEANS AT ITS LOWER END AND MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING DOWNWARD FORCE ON SAID SPRING RETAINING MEANS TO SAID LOWER CORE SUPPORT STRUCTURE; AND COIL SPRING MEANS IN PARTIAL COMPRESSION DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SPRING RECEIVING SECTION, REACTING DOWNWARDLY AGAINST SAID LOWER CORE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND REACTING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID LOWER END FITTINGS TO URGE SAID FUEL ASSEMBLIES IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID UPPER CORE ALIGNMENT STRUCTURE.