Light Water Breeder Reactor fuel rod design and performance characteristics (LWBR Development Program)

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5490111· OSTI ID:5490111

Campbell, W. R.; Giovengo, J. F.

Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) fuel rods were designed to provide a reliable fuel system utilizing thorium/uranium-233 mixed-oxide fuel while simultaneously minimizing structural material to enhance fuel breeding. The fuel system was designed to be capable of operating successfully under both load follow and base load conditions. The breeding objective required thin-walled, low hafnium content Zircaloy cladding, tightly spaced fuel rods with a minimum number of support grid levels, and movable fuel rod bundles to supplant control rods. Specific fuel rod design considerations and their effects on performance capability are described. Successful completion of power operations to over 160 percent of design lifetime including over 200 daily load follow cycles has proven the performance capability of the fuel system. 68 refs., 19 figs., 44 tabs.

• Research Organization: Bettis Atomic Power Lab., West Mifflin, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC11-76PN00014
• OSTI ID: 5490111
• Report Number(s): WAPD-TM-1387; ON: DE88005498
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ACTINIDES
ALLOYS
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BREEDER REACTORS
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FABRICATION
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PELLETS
FUEL RODS
FUELS
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
METALS
MIXED OXIDE FUELS
NUCLEI
PELLETS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTORS
SOLID FUELS
TESTING
THERMAL REACTORS
THORIUM
TIN ALLOYS
URANIUM 233
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS