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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Advanced carbide fuels: U. S. experience. [LMFBR]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7317908
A summary of the U.S. experience related to the irradiation testing of advanced carbide LMFBR fuel-element systems over the past several years is presented. The performance of both helium-bonded and sodium-bonded carbide fuel elements in the screening phase (1965-1974) is presented with respect to effects of fuel density, (U,Pu)/sub 2/C/sub 3/ content, cladding type, cladding thickness, fuel-cladding gap, smear density, and fuel-fragment restraint. The screening tests included 76 helium-bonded carbide elements and 60 sodium-bonded carbide elements, of which 131 had completed irradiation as of May 1977. These elements operated in EBR-II at peak linear powers of 34-130 KW/m to burnups of 2.0-11.7 at. percent. A review of the off-normal testing program is presented as well as a short summary of the current steady-state irradiation program.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
7317908
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-77-1353; CONF-771008-1
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English