FUEL ASSEMBLY FOR A PRESSURISED WATER NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTAINING PLUTONIUM-FREE ENRICHED URANIUM

摘要

The inventive fuel assembly (3) for a pressurised water nuclear reactor comprises pencils which are disposed in nodes of a substentially uniform grid having an external polygonal outline and containing uranium which is enriched in the isotope 235 and is free of plutonium before the use of the assembly in the reactor. Said pencils are divided at least into a first central group of pencils having first nuclear reactivity and into a peripherial external layer (13) of pencils whose nuclear reactivity(ies) is (are) strictly lower than the first reactivity of the pencils.