INVESTIGATION OF FABRICATION TECHNIQUES FOR TUBULAR FUEL ELEMENTS

Technical Report · Mon Oct 28 04:00:00 EST 1963

OSTI ID:4143649

Hodge, E S; Carlson, R J; Smith, Jr, E G

ABS>Two distinct techniques were considered in preliminary studies to develop fabrication techniques for producing low-cost tubular fuel elements: (1) the assembly, consolidation, and bonding of concentric components; (2) the joining together of flat fuel sheets containing several parallel fuel cores and the subsequent expansion of these cores into parallel tubes. The concentric- component technique was most successful, and tubular fuel elements 3/4 in. in diameter and 27 in. long were made by this process. These elements possessed dense cores and exhibited almost complete core-cladding bonding where explosive sizing and gas-pressure bonding were used to produce an integral element. Additional development of blending and loading techniques is required to insure a uniform dispersion of UO/sub 2/ in the stainless steel matrix. The potential of low cost may be realized because the few operations required to make an element appear very amenable to production techniques. The multiple-tube-assembly approach is also characterized by few operations and appeared promising in the limited study given to it in the program. Further work is needed to optimize the seam welding operation to join the multicore fuel sheets such that fully expanded parallel tubes can be made. (auth)

• Research Organization: Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus Ohio
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-92
• NSA Number: NSA-18-002194
• OSTI ID: 4143649
• Report Number(s): BMI-1652
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BONDING
DISPERSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
ECONOMICS
EXPLOSIONS
FABRICATION
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
MIXING
POWDERS
PRESSURE
SHEETS
STAINLESS STEELS
TUBES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WELDING