Irradiation behavior of intermetallic uranium compounds used as fuel for research and test reactors

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6981548

Hofman, G L

The majority of research and test reactors around the world employ aluminum fuel element designs that contain dispersed powders of uranium compounds as fuel. Specifically, two compounds are used, the uranium oxide U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ and an uranium aluminide mixed phase composed of the intermetallic compounds UAl/sub 2/, UAl/sub 3/, and UAl/sub 4/, all made with highly enriched uranium (HEU), i.e., 93% /sup 235/U. The reduction of /sup 235/U enrichment to below 20%, to so-called low enriched uranium (LEU), required the use of higher density fuels for those applications where simply increased fuel loading was not feasible. Fuel-dispersant loading is in practice limited to approx. 45 vol%. Fuel development in the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor Program has focused on uranium silicides (U/sub 3/Si and U/sub 3/Si/sub 2/) as the most promising high-density fuels. The compounds U/sub 6/Fe and U/sub 6/Mn as well as U/sub 3/Si containing some aluminum or copper were tested in search of stable high-density fuel. Some properties of the traditional and newly tested fuels are shown. All fuels were tested in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor in the form of miniature fuel plates. The irradiation performance capability of fuel plates is determined by the extent of plate thickness increases caused by fuel/aluminum interaction and irradiation-induced swelling of the fuel. The fuel swelling obtained with immersion density measurements is shown.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6981548
• Report Number(s): CONF-8711195-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 55
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
220600* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DISPERSION NUCLEAR FUELS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENRICHED URANIUM
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FABRICATION
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
METALLURGY
METALS
MODERATELY ENRICHED URANIUM
NUCLEAR FUELS
ORR REACTOR
OXIDATION
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POST-IRRADIATION EXAMINATION
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR CORES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SOLID FUELS
SWELLING
TANK TYPE REACTORS
TESTING
URANIUM
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS