Yttrium and rare earth stabilized fast reactor metal fuel
- Woodland Hills, CA
- Calabasas, CA
- Simi Valley, CA
To increase the operating temperature of a reactor, the melting point and mechanical properties of the fuel must be increased. For an actinide-rich fuel, yttrium, lanthanum and/or rare earth elements can be added, as stabilizers, to uranium and plutonium and/or a mixture of other actinides to raise the melting point of the fuel and improve its mechanical properties. Since only about 1% of the actinide fuel may be yttrium, lanthanum, or a rare earth element, the neutron penalty is low, the reactor core size can be reduced, the fuel can be burned efficiently, reprocessing requirements are reduced, and the nuclear waste disposal volumes reduced. A further advantage occurs when yttrium, lanthanum, and/or other rare earth elements are exposed to radiation in a reactor, they produce only short half life radioisotopes, which reduce nuclear waste disposal problems through much shorter assured-isolation requirements.
- Research Organization:
- Rockwell International Corp., Canoga Park, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-88SF17468
- Assignee:
- United States of America as represented by United States Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
- Patent Number(s):
- 5,112,534
- Application Number:
- 07/489296
- OSTI ID:
- 868283
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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