Perfectionnements aux procédés d'assemblage d'éléments combustibles en forme de plaques

1,024,203. Fuel elements. COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE. Oct. 19, 1964 [Oct. 18, 1963], No. 42606/64. Heading G6C. [Also in Division B3] A fuel plate, for assembly with similar plates to form a stacked fuel element, comprises fuel enclosed in a protective sheath, there being no fuel in the end portions thereof, the end portions being of the same thickness as the remainder of the plate, and being deformed out of the major plane of the plate and machined so that a plurality of such plates can be assembled by abutting their machined faces to form a fuel element having spaces between the plate faces for coolant circulation. A series of such plates are seen assembled in end view, the abutting faces 11 of the ends being joined by electron beam welding. Each plate may be bent to a U-shape instead of the S-shape illustrated. The advantage offered by the invention is that since the faces 11 to be welded do not lie in the plane of the plates, the electron beam penetration during welding is no longer critical; hitherto if the beam was slightly too deep, splashing of the plates, occurred due to run-through of molten metal, and if it was too shallow, an unwelded " crack" remained, which lead to rapid corrosion and extension of the fault.