High volume packing fraction TRISO-based fuel in light water reactors

Brown, Nicholas R.; Hernandez, Richard; Nelson, Andrew T.

doi:10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104151

Title: High volume packing fraction TRISO-based fuel in light water reactors

Journal Article · Sun Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2022 · Progress in Nuclear Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104151· OSTI ID:1873837

^[1]; Hernandez, Richard ^[2];

^[3]

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

We report that for a decade, fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel, containing tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles in a silicon carbide (SiC) matrix, has been investigated as an accident-tolerant fuel for light water reactors (LWRs). Other examples exist of TRISO-based concepts for LWR fuels with different matrix materials. Previous studies assumed TRISO particle volume packing of approximately 0.44 in SiC (or another) matrix, the highest realistic packing fractions possible with conventional manufacturing. Recent advances in advanced manufacturing have yielded the development and demonstration of a fuel form that consists of conventionally manufactured TRISO particles in a 3D-printed SiC matrix with significantly higher possible TRISO packing fractions (0.5–0.7). This increased uranium loading enhances the viability of using TRISO-based particle fuel forms in LWRs. The viability of high-packing-fraction TRISO-based particle fuel forms in LWRs is assessed from the perspective of fuel cycle length, achievable fuel burnup, reactivity coefficients, and fuel cycle performance. Higher-packing-fraction TRISO-based fuel enables either longer cycle lengths (by ~25% at a packing fraction of 0.55 relative to 0.44) at a constant enrichment or decreased enrichments (by ~25% at a packing fraction of 0.55 relative to 0.44) at a constant cycle length. Studies of different fuel kernel types (uranium nitride, uranium oxycarbide, and uranium carbide) yield similar results, although the cycle length of uranium oxycarbide is shorter than for uranium nitride or uranium carbide (due to the lower density of uranium oxide). This work also characterized the production of ¹⁴C resulting from neutron absorption in ¹⁴N during operation for uranium mononitride fuel kernels; the ratio of ¹⁴C/N was 1–2 at. % at discharge. For the fuel cycle evaluation, the activity of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at 100 and 100,000 years was lower for high-packing-fraction fuels than for conventional LWR fuel. Environmental impact metrics were similar overall, but higher on the front end of the fuel cycle and lower on the back end of the fuel cycle. Reactivity coefficients of higher-packing-fraction TRISO-based fuel were reasonable compared with those of conventional fuels.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1873837

Journal Information:: Progress in Nuclear Energy, Vol. 146, Issue 1; ISSN 0149-1970

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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