Nuclear reactor fuel structure containing uranium alloy wires embedded in a metallic matrix plate

Patent · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:866476

Travelli, Armando ^[1]

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1. Hinsdale, IL

A flat or curved plate structure, to be used as fuel in a nuclear reactor, comprises elongated fissionable wires or strips embedded in a metallic continuous non-fissionable matrix plate. The wires or strips are made predominantly of a malleable uranium alloy, such as uranium silicide, uranium gallide or uranium germanide. The matrix plate is made predominantly of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The wires or strips are located in a single row at the midsurface of the plate, parallel with one another and with the length dimension of the plate. The wires or strips are separated from each other, and from the surface of the plate, by sufficient thicknesses of matrix material, to provide structural integrity and effective fission product retention, under neutron irradiation. This construction makes it safely feasible to provide a high uranium density, so that the uranium enrichment with uranium 235 may be reduced below about 20%, to deter the reprocessing of the uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

• 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 4720370
• OSTI ID: 866476
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/376/252/420/976/
20
235
alloy
alloy wires
aluminum
aluminum alloy
below
comprises
comprises elongated
construction
containing
containing uranium
continuous
curved
density
deter
dimension
effective
elongated
embedded
enrichment
feasible
fission
fission product
fissionable
flat
fuel
gallide
germanide
integrity
irradiation
length
located
makes
malleable
material
matrix
matrix material
metallic
midsurface
neutron
neutron irradiation
non-fissionable
nuclear
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nuclear weapon
nuclear weapons
parallel
plate
plate structure
predominantly
product
provide
reactor
reactor fuel
reduced
reduced below
reprocessing
retention
row
safely
separated
silicide
single
strips
structural
structural integrity
structure
structure containing
sufficient
sufficient thickness
surface
thicknesses
uranium
uranium alloy
uranium enrichment
uranium silicide
weapons
wires