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Microencapsulated Fuel Technology for Commercial Light Water and Advanced Reactor Application

Journal Article · · Journal of Nuclear Materials

The potential application of microencapsulated fuels to light water reactors (LWRs) has been explored. The specific fuel manifestation being put forward is for coated fuel particles embedded in silicon carbide or zirconium metal matrices. Detailed descriptions of these concepts are presented, along with a review of attributes, potential benefits, and issues with respect to their application in LWR environments, specifically from the standpoints of materials, neutronics, operations, and economics. Preliminary experiment and modeling results imply that with marginal redesign, significant gains in operational reliability and accident response margins could be potentially achieved by replacing conventional oxide-type LWR fuel with microencapsulated fuel forms.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Sponsoring Organization:
NE USDOE - Office of Nuclear Energy
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1045854
Journal Information:
Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Journal Issue: 1-3 Vol. 427; ISSN 0022-3115; ISSN JNUMAM
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English