Nuclear fuel particles and method of making nuclear fuel compacts therefrom

Patent · Tue Aug 06 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5568085

DeVelasco, R I; Adams, C C

This patent describes methods for making nuclear fuel compacts exhibiting low heavy metal contamination and fewer defective coatings following compact fabrication from a mixture of hardenable binder, such as petroleum pitch, and nuclear fuel particles having multiple layer fission-product-retentive coatings, with the dense outermost layer of the fission-product-retentive coating being surrounded by a protective overcoating, e.g., pyrocarbon having a density between about 1 and 1.3 g/cm{sup 3}. Such particles can be pre-compacted in molds under relatively high pressures and then combined with a fluid binder which is ultimately carbonized to produce carbonaceous nuclear fuel compacts having relatively high fuel loadings.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5037606; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-242374
• OSTI ID: 5568085
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050700* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Fuels Production & Properties
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
CARBONIZATION
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPACTS
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FABRICATION
FUELS
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PARTICLES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SYNTHESIS