Fuels for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Materials Research Society (MRS) Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2009.11· OSTI ID:947627

Petti, D; Crawford, Doug C; Chauvin, N

Fuels for advanced nuclear reactors differ greatly from conventional light water reactor fuels and vary widely between the different concepts, due differences in reactor architecture and deployment. Functional requirements of all fuel designs include 1) retention of fission products and fuel nuclides, 2) dimensional stability, and 3) maintaining a coolable geometry. In all cases, the anticipated fuel performance under normal or off-normal conditions is the limiting factor in reactor system design, and cumulative effects of increased exposure to higher burnup degrades fuel performance. In high-temperature (thermal) gas reactor systems, fuel particles of uranium dioxide or uranium oxycarbide particles are coated with layers of carbon and SiC (or ZrC). Such fuels have been used successfully to very high burnup (10-20% of heavy-metal atoms) and can withstand transient temperatures up to 1600°C. Oxide (pellet-type) and metal (pin-type) fuels clad in stainless steel tubes have been successfully used in liquid metal cooled fast reactors, attaining burnup of 20% or more of heavy-metal atoms. Those fuel designs are being adapted for actinide management missions, requiring greater contents of minor actinides (e.g. Am, Np, Cm). The current status of each fuel system is reviewed and technical challenges confronting the implementation of each fuel in the context of the entire advanced reactor fuel cycle (fabrication, reactor performance, recycle) are discussed.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE - NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-99ID13727
• OSTI ID: 947627
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-09-15424
• Journal Information: Materials Research Society (MRS) Bulletin, Journal Name: Materials Research Society (MRS) Bulletin Vol. 34
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACTINIDES
BURNUP
FAST REACTORS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL PARTICLES
FUEL SYSTEMS
ISOTOPES
LFRs
LIQUID METALS
MHTGRs
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FUELS
OXIDES
OXYCARBIDES
PERFORMANCE
REACTORS
SFRs
STAINLESS STEELS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VHTRs
ceramic fuels
cladding
coated particle fuels
fuels
gas-cooled reactors
metal fuels
reactor fuels