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Use of silicide fuel in the Ford Nuclear Reactor - to lengthen fuel element lifetimes

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/192401· OSTI ID:192401
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
  2. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Phoenix Memorial Lab.
Based on economic considerations, it has been proposed to increase the lifetime of LEU fuel elements in the Ford Nuclear Reactor by raising the {sup 235}U plate loading from 9.3 grams in aluminide (UAl{sub x}) fuel to 12.5 grams in silicide (U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}) fuel. For a representative core configuration, preliminary neutronic depletion and steady state thermal hydraulic calculations have been performed to investigate core characteristics during the transition from an all-aluminide to an all-silicide core. This paper discusses motivations for this fuel element upgrade, results from the calculations, and conclusions.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
192401
Report Number(s):
ANL/TD/CP--88124; CONF-9509253--1; ON: DE96005087
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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