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Title: Metallic fuel development

Abstract

Metallic fuels are capable of achieving high burnup as a result of design modifications instituted in the late 1960's. The gap between the fuel slug and the cladding is fixed such that by the time the fuel swells to the cladding the fission gas bubbles interconnect and release the fission gas to an appropriately sized plenum volume. Interconnected porosity thus provides room for the fuel to deform from further swelling rather than stress the cladding. In addition, the interconnected porosity allows the fuel pin to be tolerant to transient events because as stresses are generated during a transient event the fuel flows rather than applying significant stress to the cladding. Until 1969 a number of metallic fuel alloys were under development in the US. At that time the metallic fuel development program in the US was discontinued in favor of ceramic fuels. However, development had proceeded to the point where it was clear that the zirconium addition to uranium-plutonium fuel would yield a ternary fuel with an adequately high solidus temperature and good compatibility with austenitic stainless steel cladding. Furthermore, several U-Pu-Zr fuel pins had achieved about 6 at.% bu by the late 1960's, without failure, and thus the prospectmore » for high burnup was promising.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
5589453
Report Number(s):
CONF-8709193-2
ON: DE88002857; TRN: 88-002680
DOE Contract Number:  
W-31109-ENG-38
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: US/USSR specialist meeting on fast reactor core components, Richland, WA, USA, 8 Sep 1987; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; ALLOY NUCLEAR FUELS; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; LMFBR TYPE REACTORS; FUEL ELEMENTS; BURNUP; FISSIUM; FUEL CANS; SWELLING; BREEDER REACTORS; ENERGY SOURCES; EPITHERMAL REACTORS; FAST REACTORS; FBR TYPE REACTORS; FUELS; LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS; MATERIALS; NUCLEAR FUELS; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTOR MATERIALS; REACTORS; SOLID FUELS; 210500* - Power Reactors, Breeding

Citation Formats

Walters, L C. Metallic fuel development. United States: N. p., 1987. Web.
Walters, L C. Metallic fuel development. United States.
Walters, L C. 1987. "Metallic fuel development". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5589453.
@article{osti_5589453,
title = {Metallic fuel development},
author = {Walters, L C},
abstractNote = {Metallic fuels are capable of achieving high burnup as a result of design modifications instituted in the late 1960's. The gap between the fuel slug and the cladding is fixed such that by the time the fuel swells to the cladding the fission gas bubbles interconnect and release the fission gas to an appropriately sized plenum volume. Interconnected porosity thus provides room for the fuel to deform from further swelling rather than stress the cladding. In addition, the interconnected porosity allows the fuel pin to be tolerant to transient events because as stresses are generated during a transient event the fuel flows rather than applying significant stress to the cladding. Until 1969 a number of metallic fuel alloys were under development in the US. At that time the metallic fuel development program in the US was discontinued in favor of ceramic fuels. However, development had proceeded to the point where it was clear that the zirconium addition to uranium-plutonium fuel would yield a ternary fuel with an adequately high solidus temperature and good compatibility with austenitic stainless steel cladding. Furthermore, several U-Pu-Zr fuel pins had achieved about 6 at.% bu by the late 1960's, without failure, and thus the prospect for high burnup was promising.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5589453}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987}
}

Conference:
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