Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel

Porter, D. L.; Medvedev, P. G.; Hayes, S. L.; Teague, M. C.

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.06.014

Title: Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel

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Abstract

An experiment was performed in the Experimental Breeder Rector-II (EBR-II) in the 1990s to show that metallic fast reactor fuel could be used in reactors with a single, once-through core. To prove the long duration, high burnup, high neutron exposure capability an experiment where the fuel pin was designed with a very large fission gas plenum and very low fuel smeared density (SD). The experiment, X496, operated to only 8.3 at. % burnup because the EBR-II reactor was scheduled for shut-down at that time. Many of the examinations of the fuel pins only funded recently with the resurgence of reactor designs using very high-burnup fuel. The results showed that, despite the low smeared density of 59% the fuel swelled radially to contact the cladding, fission gas release appeared to be slightly higher than demonstrated in conventional 75%SD fuel tests and axial growth was about the same as 75% SD fuel. There were axial positions in some of the fuel pins which showed evidence of fuel restructuring and an absence of fission products with low metaling points and gaseous precursors (Cs and Rb). Lastly, a model to investigate whether these areas may have overheated due to a loss of bond sodiummore »« less

Authors:

Porter, D. L. ^[1]; H. J. M. Chichester; Medvedev, P. G. ^[1]; Hayes, S. L. ^[1]; Teague, M. C. ^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2015

Research Org.:: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1212129

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1432109

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-15-34468
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Nuclear Materials

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 465; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; fast reactor fuel; low smeared density fuel

Citation Formats


                    Porter, D. L., H. J. M. Chichester, Medvedev, P. G., Hayes, S. L., and Teague, M. C. Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.06.014.

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                    Porter, D. L., H. J. M. Chichester, Medvedev, P. G., Hayes, S. L., & Teague, M. C. Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.06.014

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                    Porter, D. L., H. J. M. Chichester, Medvedev, P. G., Hayes, S. L., and Teague, M. C. Wed .  
"Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.06.014.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1212129.

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@article{osti_1212129,

  title        = {Performance of low smeared density sodium-cooled fast reactor metal fuel},

  author       = {Porter, D. L. and H. J. M. Chichester and Medvedev, P. G. and Hayes, S. L. and Teague, M. C.},

  abstractNote = {An experiment was performed in the Experimental Breeder Rector-II (EBR-II) in the 1990s to show that metallic fast reactor fuel could be used in reactors with a single, once-through core. To prove the long duration, high burnup, high neutron exposure capability an experiment where the fuel pin was designed with a very large fission gas plenum and very low fuel smeared density (SD). The experiment, X496, operated to only 8.3 at. % burnup because the EBR-II reactor was scheduled for shut-down at that time. Many of the examinations of the fuel pins only funded recently with the resurgence of reactor designs using very high-burnup fuel. The results showed that, despite the low smeared density of 59% the fuel swelled radially to contact the cladding, fission gas release appeared to be slightly higher than demonstrated in conventional 75%SD fuel tests and axial growth was about the same as 75% SD fuel. There were axial positions in some of the fuel pins which showed evidence of fuel restructuring and an absence of fission products with low metaling points and gaseous precursors (Cs and Rb). Lastly, a model to investigate whether these areas may have overheated due to a loss of bond sodium indicates that it is a possible explanation for the fuel restructuring and something to be considered for fuel performance modeling of low SD fuel.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.06.014},

  journal      = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},

  number       = ,

  volume       = 465,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2015},

  month        = {Wed Jun 17 00:00:00 EDT 2015}

}

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