Nuclear breeder reactor fuel element with silicon carbide getter

Patent · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5747501

Christiansen, D W; Karnesky, R A

A breeder reactor fuel element is described including a tubular clading hermetically sealed at each end by an end plug, one interior portion of the cladding defining a fuel space filled with a column of fissile material comprising a mixture of PO/sub 2/ and UO/sub 2/, and an upper and lower fertile material blanket. The blanket comprises UO/sub 2/ arranged axially in tandem with the fissile column within the cladding. The improvement comprises a cesium getter disposed at least at the upper end of the upper blanket. The getter includes a helical rolled substrate of stainless steel coated with silicon carbide material for collecting and isolating cesium migrating thereto and the stainless steel substrate having dimples formed therein for holding apart successive convolutions of the rolled substrate to permit a volume expansion of the getter.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC
• Patent Number(s): US 4710343
• OSTI ID: 5747501
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METALS
ALLOYS
BREEDER REACTORS
BREEDING BLANKETS
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CESIUM
CHALCOGENIDES
CHROMIUM ALLOYS
COATINGS
CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS
ELEMENTS
FERTILE MATERIALS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
GETTERING
GETTERS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
MATERIALS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM DIOXIDE
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PROTECTIVE COATINGS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SEALS
SILICON CARBIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
STAINLESS STEELS
STEELS
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES