High-temperature fuel technology for nuclear process heat: ZrC-containing coated particle fuels and high-density graphite fuel matrices
This is the final report on the high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor fuels project that was pursued at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory from early 1973 to mid-1977. This work followed two broad paths: (1) ZrC was utilized in various ways to improve the temperature capability of fission-product-retaining coated nuclear fuel particles and (2) techniques were developed for fabricating fuel rods by extruding the coated particles in high-density graphite matrices. The key to the ZrC coating project proved to be the ZrCl/sub 4/ powder feeder development. The ZrCl/sub 4/ reacted with H/sub 2/ and CH/sub 4/ or C/sub 3/H/sub 6/ to produce chemically vapor-deposited (CVD) ZrC. This CVD ZrC was used on nuclear fuel particles for replacing the SiC in the TRISO-II design, for making ZrC-C graded coats, and for making ZrC-alloyed isotropic carbon coats. Fuel particles with all of the described coats have been very successful in high-temperature, full-fluence (8 x 10/sup 21/ n cm/sup -2/) irradiation tests. High-temperature diffusion experiments with cesium showed that ZrC is comparable to SiC as a diffusion barrier. Extruded fuel rods with matrix densities of 1.6 to 1.7 g cm/sup -3/ and with up to 45-vol percent coated particles were made without difficulty. All fuel rods tested in high-temperature, full-fluence irradiations had excellent results.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos Scientific Lab., N.Mex. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5361609
- Report Number(s):
- LA-6984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360201 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Preparation & Fabrication
360601 -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
CARBIDES
CARBON
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COATED FUEL PARTICLES
COATINGS
DEPOSITION
ELEMENTS
EXTRUSION
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PARTICLES
FUEL RODS
GRAPHITE
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS WORKING
NONMETALS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REDUCTION
SURFACE COATING
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM CARBIDES
ZIRCONIUM CHLORIDES
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS