Substantiation of using uranium-zirconium carbonitride as kernel for microspherical fuel

Abstract

The paper presents an alternative design of the micro fuel element with the use of a core made of uranium-zirconium carbonitride fuel instead of traditional uranium dioxide which has a detrimental effect on the micro fuel element operation due to oxygen. This fuel as part of the four-layer TRISO-micro fuel element creates significantly lower gas pressure under the coating, it is compatible well with a pyrocarbon coating and does not crack it. The fuel has high thermal properties and it is much less subject to the “amoeba”-effect.