University of Missouri Research Reactor LEU Fuel Element Flow Test Conceptual Design—Hydraulic Reactor Design Parameters

Technical Report · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1821189· OSTI ID:1821189

Wang, Guanyi ^[1]; Bojanowski, Cezary ^[1]; Hebden, Andrew ^[1]; Yoon, Dhongik ^[1]; Wilson, Erik ^[1]; Foyto, Leslie ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Science & Engineering Division
2. Univ. of Missouri, Columbia, MO (United States)

The University of Missouri-Columbia Research Reactor (MURR®) is one of five U.S. high performance research reactors (USHPRR), plus one critical facility, that actively collaborates with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Material Management and Minimization(M³) Reactor Conversion Program to convert to the use of low-enriched uranium (LEU, < 20 wt.% U-235) fuel. A new type of LEU fuel with very high density, based on an alloy of uranium and 10 weight percent molybdenum (U-10Mo), is expected to allow the conversion to LEU of USHPRR that have been found unable to be converted with previously qualified uranium silicide-aluminum (U₃Si₂-Al) dispersion fuel. MURR has been working with the USHPRR Reactor Conversion (RC) Pillar at Argonne National Laboratory to perform fuel element design and fuel cycle performance analyses, steady-state thermal hydraulics safety analyses, and accident safety analyses in preparation for the conversion of MURR and to support a preliminary Safety Analysis Report (SAR) for conversion to LEU fuel. This work is performed in preparation for the flow test campaign that will be conducted by the USHPRR RC Pillar. The purpose of the hydraulic performance evaluation of the MURR LEU fuel element designed by the RC Pillar is to test a prototypic commercially fabricated LEU fuel element to determine whether any failure modes are observed or predicted in the fuel element, including significant deformations such as plate bending, twisting, or plate detachment from the side plate under selected safety-basis limits for reactor hydraulic conditions. To support the design of the flow test for MURR LEU fuel element hydraulic performance evaluation, design parameters for hydraulic testing of the LEU fuel element are laid out in this report.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. Office of Material Management and Minimization
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1821189
• Report Number(s): ANL/RTR/TM-21/19; 171074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS