Plutonium and plutonium alloys as nuclear fuel materials

Kittel, J.H.; Ayer, J.E.; Beck, W.N.; Brodsky, M. B.; O'Boyle, D.R.; Zegler, S.T.; Ellinger, F.H.; Miner, W.N.; Schonfeld, F.W.; Nelson, R.D.

doi:10.1016/0029-5493(71)90076-8

Cited by 38 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Although Nb, Ni, W, Mo, Fe, and Cr have greater potential to enhance Doppler feedback than Zr, there are some deficiencies that cannot be ignored. First, the melting points of Pu-Ni alloy and Pu-Fe alloy are below 500 C, which is too low for nuclear fuel [17]. Second, the melting point of Pu-W alloy is too high to fabricate fuel by injection casting because the melting temperature of W itself is above 3,000 C.…”

Section: Analysis Results For Doppler Feedback Enhancementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Ishii

Yamaoka

Moriki

et al. 2014

Nuclear Back-End and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal

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A TRU-burning fast reactor cycle associated with a uranium-free transuranium (TRU) metallic fuel core is one of the solutions for radioactive waste management issue. Use of TRU metallic fuel without uranium makes it possible to maximize the TRU transmutation rate in comparison with uranium and plutonium mixed-oxide fuel because it prevents the fuel itself from producing new plutonium and minor actinides, and furthermore because metallic fuel has much smaller capture-to-fission ratios of TRU than those of mixed-oxide fuel. Also, adoption of metallic fuel enables recycling system to be less challenging, even for uranium-free fuel, because a conventional scheme of fuel recycling by electrorefining and injection casting is applicable.There are some issues, however, associated with a uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core: decrease in negative Doppler reactivity coefficient from the absence of uranium-238, which has the ability to absorb neutrons at elevated temperatures, increase in burn-up swing, because fissile decreases monotonically in uranium-free core, and so on. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of the uranium-free TRU metallic fuel core by investigating the effect of measures taken to enhance Doppler reactivity feedback and to reduce burn-up swing. The results show a TRU-burning fast reactor cycle using uranium-free TRU metallic fuel is viable from the aforementioned points of view because the introduction of diluent Zr alloy, spectrum moderator BeO, and lower core height enables Doppler reactivity coefficient and burn-up reactivity swing of uranium-free TRU metallic fuel to be as practicable as those of conventional fuel containing uranium.

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Section: Analysis Results For Doppler Feedback Enhancementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Ishii

Yamaoka

Moriki

et al. 2014

Nuclear Back-End and Transmutation Technology for Waste Disposal

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“…The density of U-19Pu-10Zr alloys prepared by this method agreed well with the previously reported value of 15.8 g/cm. 12) After those inspections, the fuel rods were inserted in cladding tubes with sodium for thermal bonding of fuel-cladding gap under an inert atmosphere. The specifications of the fabricated metal fuel pins are shown in Table 4.…”

Section: Fabrication Of Ma-containing Metal Fuels For Irradiatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Fast Reactor Metal Fuels Containing Minor Actinides

Ohta

Ogata

Dimitrios

et al. 2011

J. Nucl. Sci. Technol.

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Fast reactor metal fuels containing minor actinides (MAs) Np, Am, and Cm and rare earths (REs) Y, Nd, Ce, and Gd are being developed by the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI) in collaboration with the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) in the METAPHIX project. The basic properties of U-Pu-Zr alloys containing MA (and RE) were characterized by performing ex-reactor experiments. On the basis of the results, test fuel pins including U-Pu-Zr-MA(-RE) alloy ingots in parts of the fuel stack were fabricated and irradiated up to a maximum burnup of $10 at% in the Phénix fast reactor (France). Nondestructive postirradiation tests confirmed that no significant damage to the fuel pins occurred. At present, detailed destructive postirradiation examinations are being carried out at ITU.

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“…It should be noted that the thermal conductivity of the U-Al alloy fuel is from several to one order of magnitude higher than that of the U-Zr alloy fuel. Furthermore, the Table 1 Physical properties of Al alloy fuel [7][8][9]13)…”

Section: Thermal Properties Of Htc Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This value is found to be similar to that of the U-Pu-Zr alloy, 1,373 K. In this analysis, we have concentrated on the effect of the thermal expansion and linear expansion rate of the HTC fuel during ATWS. The melting point of the (U-Pu) 0:7 Al 0:3 alloy is, thus, assumed to be just same as that of the U-Pu-Zr alloy, 1,373 K. 13) IV. Self-Controllability Capability of the HTC-Fueled Core 1.…”

Section: (2) Analytical Model Of the Argo Codementioning

confidence: 99%

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Study of the Self-Controllability for the Fast Reactor Core with High-Thermal-Conductivity Fuel

Ishizu

Yokoyama

Endô

et al. 2010

J. Nucl. Sci. Technol.

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The tolerance capability against ATWS for the FBR core with metallic fuel can be improved by employing a fuel with high thermal conductivity (HTC fuel) instead of the conventional metallic fuel, U-Pu-Zr. To investigate the self-controllability for the HTC-fueled core with U-Pu-Al alloy fuel, having one order of magnitude higher thermal conductivity than that of the U-Pu-Zr, the core employing the U-Pu-Al fuel was evaluated against ULOF and UTOP. Based on the systematic calculation, it was found that the larger temperature margin between the steady state and ULOF/UTOP conditions caused the excellent tolerance capability against ULOF and UTOP for the HTC-fueled core compared with that for the Zralloy-fueled core. Also, the conditions of the core reactivity coefficients required for neither fuel melting nor coolant boiling were investigated by using a ''self-controllability map'' consisting of effective fuel and coolant reactivities. As a result, the self-controllable region was found to be expanded especially for UTOP in the case of the HTC-fueled core.

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Plutonium and plutonium alloys as nuclear fuel materials

Cited by 38 publications

References 61 publications

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Development of Uranium-Free TRU Metallic Fuel Fast Reactor Core

Development of Fast Reactor Metal Fuels Containing Minor Actinides

Study of the Self-Controllability for the Fast Reactor Core with High-Thermal-Conductivity Fuel

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