Soluble burnable absorber rod for a nuclear reactor

This patent describes a soluble burnable absorber rod, comprising: (a) an elongated hollow tubular member having opposite ends and a hermetically sealed chamber defined therein between its opposite ends, the tubular member including (I) a tubular body of thin wall construction and having reinforcing means defined therein, the reinforcing means taking the form of convolutions formed in the body, and (II) a pair of end plugs attached to opposite ends of the body so as to hermetically seal the same; (b) a neutron absorber material in liquid form contained in the sealed chamber within the tubular member; (c) means providing a hydride sink disposed at one end of the tubular member and in communication with the sealed chamber, the sink being provided by one of the end plugs of the tubular member; and (d) means providing a hydrogen getter disposed at the other end of the tubular member and in communication with the sealed chamber, the means providing the getter being in the form of (I) a sponge of getter material disposed adjacent the other end plug of the tubular member, and (II) a retainer disposed between the sponge and the chamber for positioning the sponge within the member and having a passageway formed therein for providing communication between the chamber and the sponge