INCORPORATION OF A BORON BURNABLE POISON AND SPHERICAL UO$sub 2$ IN SM-2 STAINLESS-MATRIX FUEL PLATES

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4003948

Paprocki, S J; Keller, D L; Cunningham, G W; Foulds, A K

A fuel plate containing 26 wt% UO/sub 2/ dispersed with ZrB/sub 2/ in a low-cobalt low-tantalum type 347 stainless steel matrix is developed as a reference design for the SM-2 reactor. Design conditions include a maximum center-line temperature of 684 deg F, an average heat flux of 1.65 x 10/sup 5/ Btu/(hr)(ft/sup 2/), and an average burnup of 39 per cent of the U/sup 235/. The improvement achieved over previously used UO/sub 2/ stainless steel dispersions may be attributed principally to the use of spherical UO/sub 2/ and the use of ZrB/sub 2/ as a burnable poison. The sphericnl UO/sub 2/ produces stronger cores with a more uniform dispersion and less stringering and fracturing of the UO/sub 2/ particles than does hydrothermal UO/sub 2/. The use of ZrB/sub 2/ combined with vacuum sintering at 2150 deg F and controlled hot rolling at 2200 deg F to about an 8-to-1 reduction in evacuated picture-frame packs allows the control of boron content to plus or minus 5 per cent. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, Ohio
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-92
• NSA Number: NSA-15-026510
• OSTI ID: 4003948
• Report Number(s): BMI-1527
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BORON
BURNUP
CONTROL
DEFORMATION
DISPERSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAT TRANSFER
HOT WORKING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
PARTICLES
PLATES
POISONING
QUANTITY RATIO
ROLLING
SINTERING
SPHERES
STAINLESS STEELS
TEMPERATURE
TENSILE PROPERTIES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VACUUM
ZIRCONIUM BORIDES