PERFORMANCE OF ALUMINUM-URANIUM ALLOY FUEL PLATES UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE AND HIGH BURNUP CONDITIONS

Conference · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1962

OSTI ID:4756380

Kittel, J. H.; Gavin, A. P.; Crothers, C. C.; Carlander, R.

To be published in TID-7642, Proceedings of the Research Reactors Fuel Element Conference held in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Sept. 17-19, 1962. Irradiation experiments have been made to determine the irradiation temperature and burnup limits ior X8001 aluminum alloy-clad Al-17.5 wt % U-2 wt % Ni-0.5 wt % Fe alloy silicon-bonded plates of the type developed ior the SL-1 reactor. The irradiations were conducted on prototype SL-1 plates both in MTR capsules and in the ANL-2 High Pressure Water Loop in the MTR. The loop experiments were conducted under local boiling conditions in water at 215 deg C (420 deg F) flowing at 12 ft/sec. One of the plates being irradiated in the loop developed a clad defect after a period of operation in high pH water. At the time of clad penetration the plate had achieved a burnup of 58 percent of the uranium (1.3 percent of total fuel alloy atoms). No catastrophic corrosion of the fuel alloy or extensive fission product release occurred when the plate was irradiated with the defect. Because of heavy scale deposition on the loop specimens fuel alloy temperatures were calculated to be as high as 560 deg C (1040 deg F). Fuel swelling occurred above temperatures near 450 deg C (840 deg F). The silicon bonding technique appeared to be highly effective in maintaining sound metallurgical bonds between fuel and cladding. (auth)

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., Ill.; Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• NSA Number: NSA-17-005023
• OSTI ID: 4756380
• Report Number(s): ANL-FGF-392; (UAC-6849)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ACIDITY
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
BONDING
BURNUP
CORROSION
DEFECTS
EXPANSION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FLUID FLOW
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
IN PILE LOOPS
IRON ALLOYS
IRRADIATION
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
MTR
NICKEL ALLOYS
PERFORMANCE
PLATES
PRESSURE
REACTORS
SILICON
URANIUM ALLOYS
WATER