FUEL ELEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR THE PEBBLE BED REACTOR. Quarterly Progress Report, May 1, 1960-July 31, 1960

Technical Report · Tue Oct 31 00:00:00 EST 1961

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4028722· OSTI ID:4028722

Fabrication of alumina-coated UO/sub 2/ and pyrolytic carboncoated UC/ sub 2/ particles was studied. Some reaction was noted between alumina and graphite at 2500 deg F. For UC/sub 2/ particles coated with carbon at 2000 deg F, the coatings were found to crack at temperaturss above 2000 deg F, whereas 2450 deg F deposition gave fewer failures at 3600 deg F, more rapid deposition- ratss, and absence of excess soot formation. A Pebble Bed Reactor fuel element consisting of a 1.5-in. graphite sphere fueled with alumina-coated UO/sub 2/ particles was irradiated at 1400 deg F to a burrup of 3.3 at.% U/sup 235/. Up to 2.5 at.% burnup, the fission product leakage factors (rate of release/rate of production) ranged between 10/sup -9/ and 10/sup -5/ for 10 isotopes and were ascribed to trace amounts of uranium contamination outside the particle coatings. In the latter part of the quarter, ths leakage factor for Xe/sup 133/ rose to lO/ sup -3/ while several other shorter lived fission products increased to a smaller extent, indicating the beginning of diffusion through the coatings due to radiation damage of the alumina. Carbon-coated UC/sub 2/ particles coated at 2000 deg F were found to have good fission product retention up to 2000 deg F, and less than 4.5 x 10/sup -6/ of the Xen/sup 133/ was release d in a 4-hr test. Graphite bodies of density>2.0 g/cm/sup 3/ were prepared using natural graphite powder as filler material, and their crushing strength was on the same order as that of AGOT synthetic graphite. (D. L. C.)

• Research Organization: Sanderson and Porter, New York
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AT(30-1)-2378
• NSA Number: NSA-15-016016
• OSTI ID: 4028722
• Report Number(s): NYO-9061
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
ALUMINUM OXIDES
BURNUP
CARBON
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COATING
CONTAMINATION
CRACKS
DIFFUSION
FABRICATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUIDIZATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
GRAPHITE
HIGH TEMPERATURE
IRRADIATION
LEAKS
PARTICLES
PBR
PEBBLE BED
PELLETS
REACTORS
SPHERES
SURFACES
TESTING
TRACE AMOUNTS
URANIUM
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
XENON 133