skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Experience on fuel and structural materials development in the USA

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6496517

The United States has conducted extensive LMFBR fuel and structural materials development programs since the mid-1960's. Fuels and materials irradiation tests conducted in EBR-II formed the basis for evaluating the expected performance of FFTF fuel and identified candidate fuels and materials for further full-scale testing in FFTF. The performance of FFTF fuel through the first three years of reactor operation (700 EFPD) has been outstanding. Peak fuel burnup has been limited by swelling of the cold worked AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel ducts rather than by fuel pin behavior. Standard FFTF driver fuel is currently being irradiated routinely to a peak burnup of approximately 100,000 MWd/MTM. Fuel assemblies fabricated with Alloy D9 (titanium modified austenitic stainless steel) cladding and ducts will complete irradiation to an exposure of 155,000 MWd/MTM by the end of 1985, and a large-scale FFTF test program to demonstrate the extended performance capability of fuel assemblies fabricated with the ferritic/martensitic stainless steel alloy HT9 is in progress. Current information indicates that mixed oxide fuel clad with alloy HT9, a modified D9 alloy or dispersion strengthened ferritic stainless steel, enclosed in an HT9 alloy duct, can be expected to achieve the extended burnup goals set for the US program. 3 refs., 3 figs.

Research Organization:
Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76FF02170
OSTI ID:
6496517
Report Number(s):
HEDL-SA-3344-FP; CONF-850722-3; IAEA-SM-284/15; ON: DE85018212
Resource Relation:
Conference: International symposium on fast breeder reactors - experience and future trends, Lyons, France, 22 Jul 1985
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English