Nuclear fuel particles and method of making nuclear fuel compacts therefrom

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:867930

DeVelasco, Rubin I ^[1]; Adams, Charles C ^[2]

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1. Encinitas, CA
2. San Diego, CA

Methods for making nuclear fuel compacts exhibiting low heavy metal contamination and fewer defective coatings following compact fabrication from a mixture of hardenable binder, such as petroleum pitch, and nuclear fuel particles having multiple layer fission-product-retentive coatings, with the dense outermost layer of the fission-product-retentive coating being surrounded by a protective overcoating, e.g., pyrocarbon having a density between about 1 and 1.3 g/cm.sup.3. Such particles can be pre-compacted in molds under relatively high pressures and then combined with a fluid binder which is ultimately carbonized to produce carbonaceous nuclear fuel compacts having relatively high fuel loadings.

• Research Organization: General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-84SF11962
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (San Diego, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5037606
• OSTI ID: 867930
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

nuclear
fuel
particles
method
compacts
therefrom
methods
exhibiting
heavy
metal
contamination
fewer
defective
coatings
following
compact
fabrication
mixture
hardenable
binder
petroleum
pitch
multiple
layer
fission-product-retentive
dense
outermost
coating
surrounded
protective
overcoating
pyrocarbon
density
cm
pre-compacted
molds
relatively
pressures
combined
fluid
ultimately
carbonized
produce
carbonaceous
loadings
metal contamination
multiple layer
heavy metal
nuclear fuel
fuel particles
outermost layer
fuel compacts
fuel particle
produce carbon
defective coatings
/376/427/976/