Uranium-plutonium carbide fuel for fast breeder reactors
Uranium-plutonium carbide offers an improved fuel system for advanced breeder reactors. The highthermal conductivity and density of carbide fuels permit superior breeding performance and high specific power operation. These advantages combine to increase plutonium production, reduce fuel cycle and power cost, and lower plant capital costs. The carbide advantages are obtained at conservative fuel system design and operating conditions. Carbide fabrication technology has been demonstrated by the production of quality-assured fuel elements for irradiation testing. The carbide irradiation test program has demonstrated that high burnup can be achieved with several designs and that the consequences of postulated off-normal operating events are benign. Design bases to support helium- and sodium-bonded carbide fuel pin test irradiations in the Fast Flux Test Facility have been developed in the Experimental Breeder Reactor and the Transient Reactor irradiation tests.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
- OSTI ID:
- 6476095
- Journal Information:
- Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 63:1; ISSN NUTYB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ALKALI METALS
BREEDER REACTORS
BREEDING RATIO
BURNUP
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CONVERSION RATIO
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FFTF REACTOR
FLUIDS
FUEL CANS
FUEL CYCLE
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
GASES
HELIUM
IRRADIATION
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
MATERIALS
METALS
MIXED CARBIDE FUELS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLUTONIUM CARBIDES
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
RARE GASES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
RESEARCH REACTORS
SODIUM
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TEST REACTORS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM COMPOUNDS