FABRICATION OF FUEL ELEMENTS BY SWAGING
Potential low-cost fuel-element fabrication concepts were investigated to establish process parameters and to fabricate test specimens for VBWR irradiations. The concepts investigated were swaging over pellets, powder compaction by swaging, and powder compaction by hot swaging. Stainless steel cladding was used throughout the program with a reference wall thickness of 10 mils. A process for swaging over as-sintered pellets was developed using nylon dies. Pellet diameters varied as much as 10 mils with little or no breakage. Limitations of nylon die swaging were investigated and were found to be a function of tube diameter-towall thickness ratio and tube yield strength. A process for swaging 10-mil clad fused UO/sub 2/ filled rods to a density of 93 ction in DDT-C/ 1% was established. Spencer-fused UO/sub 2/ was the feed material loaded to an initial density of 70% theoretical. The rods were reduced from 0.5 inch diameter to 0.4 inch diameter. A second process investigated consisted of loading a 7/16 inch OD tube to 86% of theoretical by vibratory compacting followed by a one-pass swage to 0.4 inch final diameter. Collapsible end plugs were used in the fuel rods as an economy measure to eliminate machining operations after swaging. Hot swaging was investigated and fuel rods clad in 10- mil stainless steel were fabricated to densities as high as 95.2% TD. Ten fuel rods clad in 16-mil type 304 ELC stainless steel tubing were fabricated for and are being irradiated in VBWR. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- General Electric Co. Vallecitos Atomic Lab., San Jose, Calif.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT(04-3)-361
- NSA Number:
- NSA-17-018712
- OSTI ID:
- 4740346
- Report Number(s):
- GEAP-3918
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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