SPECIFICATIONS AND FABRICATION PROCEDURES FOR APPR-1 CORE II STATIONARY FUEL ELEMENTS

Technical Report · Wed Feb 11 04:00:00 EST 1959

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4294583· OSTI ID:4294583

Cunningham, J. E.; Beaver, R. J.; Robertson, R. D.; Edgar, E. C.

Stainless steel-base fuel elements of thin plate-type construction and containing a dispersion of enriched uraninm dioxide have becn successfully employed in powering the Army Package Power Reactor. This report is concerned with the stationary fuel component proposed for operation in the second core loading of the reactor. The essential features of the component enginecred for radioactive service in pressurized water at 450 deg F are described. The underlying criteria which guided the design are presented. The technological factors, such as compatibility, corrosion resistance, and irradiation behavior, which led to the selection of UO/sub 2/ as the fissile compound, boron carbide as the burnable 'poison, and austenitic stainless stecl as the cladding and matrix material are reviewed. The fabricational procedures developed and adopted for manufacturing the component are presented in detail. This includes incorporation of the UO/sub 2/ and B/sub 4/C into stainless steel compacts by powder-metallurgy techniques, methods of preparing composite fuel plates by roll cladding, and assembly and joining the thin plates into an integral unit by brazing with a nickel-base alloy. Quality-control measures adopted to consistently produce components within dimensional tolerances on a pilet-plant basis are described. The general requirements on the task of supplying a loading of Core H fuel elements are outlined for the purpose of informing prospective fabricators with the nature and scope of the undertaking. Detailed specifications on the material and dimensional requirements the manufacturer is expected to meet are also provided. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.; Alco Products, Inc., Schenectady, N.Y.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-13-005956
• OSTI ID: 4294583
• Report Number(s): ORNL-2649
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AUSTENITE
BORON CARBIDES
BRAZING
BURNUP
CANNING
CONFIGURATION
CONTROL
CORROSION
CORROSION PROTECTION
DISPERSIONS
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
IRRADIATION
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
METALLURGY
NICKEL ALLOYS
PLANNING
PLATES
POISONING
POWDERS
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR FUELING
REACTORS
ROLLING
SM-1
SM-1A
STAINLESS STEELS
THICKNESS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER COOLANT