Encapsulated fuel unit and method of forming same

Patent · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:865349

Groh, Edward F ^[1]; Cassidy, Dale A ^[2]; Lewandowski, Edward F ^[3]

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1. Naperville, IL
2. Valparaiso, IN
3. Westmont, IL

This invention teaches an encapsulated fuel unit for a nuclear reactor, such as for an enriched uranium fuel plate of thin cross section of the order of 1/64 or 1/8 of an inch and otherwise of rectangular shape 1-2 inches wide and 2-4 inches long. The case is formed from (a) two similar channel-shaped half sections extended lengthwise of the elongated plate and having side edges butted and welded together to define an open ended tube-like structure and from (b) porous end caps welded across the open ends of the tube-like structure. The half sections are preferably of stainless steel between 0.002 and 0.01 of an inch thick, and are beam welded together over and within machined and hardened tool steel chill blocks. The porous end caps preferably are of T-316-L stainless steel having pores of approximately 3-10 microns size.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4500488
• OSTI ID: 865349
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/976/
002
01
1-2
2-4
3-10
64
approximately
beam
beam welded
blocks
butted
caps
channel-shaped
chill
chill block
define
edges
elongated
encapsulated
encapsulated fuel
enriched
enriched uranium
extended
extended length
formed
forming
fuel
fuel plate
fuel unit
half
hardened
inch
inch thick
inches
lengthwise
machined
method
microns
nuclear
nuclear reactor
otherwise
plate
pores
porous
preferably
reactor
rectangular
rectangular shape
section
sections
shape
similar
size
stainless
stainless steel
steel
structure
t-316-l
teaches
thick
tool
tube-like
tube-like structure
unit
uranium
uranium fuel
welded
wide