Development and Fabrication of 70% PuC–30% UC Fuel for the Fast Breeder Test Reactor in India

Ganguly, C.; Hegde, P.V.; Jain, Gourav; Basak, U.; Mehrotra, R.S.; Majumdar, S.; Roy, P.R.

doi:10.13182/nt86-a33753

Cited by 40 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Therefore, preparing the carbide and fabricating it in the form of pellets has to be done in high purity inert atmosphere glove boxes to avoid any possibility of oxidation that can lead to fire. The entire charge of carbide fuel for the core of FBTR was fabricated in BARC and this has provided valuable experience in the fabrication of carbide fuels (Ganguly et al 1986). It is a matter of great pride that the carbide fuel developed in our country meets all the specifications.…”

Section: Fuel Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of fuels and structural materials for fast breeder reactors

Raj

Mannan

Rao

et al. 2002

Sadhana

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Fast breeder reactors (FBRs) are destined to play a crucial role in the Indian nuclear power programme in the foreseeable future. FBR technology involves a multidisciplinary approach to solve the various challenges in the areas of fuel and materials development. Fuels for FBRs have significantly higher concentration of fissile material than in thermal reactors, with a matching increase in burn-up. The design of the fuel is an important aspect which has to be optimised for efficient, economic and safe production of power. FBR components operate under hostile and demanding environment of high neutron flux, liquid sodium coolant and elevated temperatures. Resistance to void swelling, irradiation creep, and irradiation embrittlement are therefore major considerations in the choice of materials for the core components. Structural and steam generator materials should have good resistance to creep, low cycle fatigue, creep-fatigue interaction and sodium corrosion. The development of carbide fuel and structural materials for the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam was a great technological challenge. At the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), advanced research facilities have been established, and extensive studies have been carried out in the areas of fuel and materials development. This has laid the foundation for the design and development of a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor. Highlights of some of these studies are discussed in this paper in the context of our mission to develop and deploy FBR technology for the energy security of India in the 21 st century.

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Section: Fuel Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of fuels and structural materials for fast breeder reactors

Raj

Mannan

Rao

et al. 2002

Sadhana

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“…Adoption of carbide nuclear fuels can be traced back to the establishment of fast-breeder reactor programs in the USA starting in the 1960s. [1][2][3] Research efforts further intensified with programs to build such reactors in the 1980s [4][5][6] and, more recently, with the emergence of generation IV sodium-cooled and gas-cooled fast reactors. [7][8][9] This growing interest stems from their attractive thermal and neutronic properties, and irradiation experiments have shown that a carbide fuel pellet can produce four times more power over its lifetime than conventional U oxide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase Relationships in the Carbon–Titanium–Uranium System for Ultra-High Temperature Nuclear Fuels

Abdul-Jabbar

Ulrich

White

2021

JOM

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Carbides of uranium have attracted interest as fuels for nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) to drive deep-space exploration owing to their attractive thermal and neutronic properties. Optimization of NTP technology, however, requires ultrahigh-temperature reactor environments to maximize the ratio of thrust to propellant to achieve peak rocket engine efficiency. Incorporation of transition metals into uranium carbides offers a pathway to increase the melting point of carbide fuels to address the operational challenges posed by NTP. A thermodynamic model has been developed to examine the phase relationships in the C-Ti-U system at NTP conditions. Calculated phase relationships at ultra-high temperatures predict a stable (U, Ti)C solid solution. Additionally, experimental work on C-Ti-U synthesis via arc melting has been carried out, providing data on phase constitution and compositions that can be used to further refine the thermodynamic model that has been developed.

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“…FBTR was made critical with a small compact core consisting of Purich hyperstoichiometric (U 0.3 Pu 0.7 )C fuel (Mark-I) which has already reached a burn-up of 1 00 000 MW days per ton without any pin failure [1][2][3]. The core is now being expanded with hyperstoichiometric (U 0.45 Pu 0.55 )C fuel (Mark-II) for the operation at full power.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fabrication steps include carbothermic reduction of a homogeneous blend of UO 2 , PuO 2 and graphite powders in vacuum at about 1475°C [1][2][3][4]. The carbide clinker thus obtained is then milled, precompacted, granulated and finally compacted at 400 MPa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%