Open AccessConcerning technologies of manufacture, utilization and reprocessing of massive nuclear fuel
Author(s) -
Yu. M. Golovchenko
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1475/1/012026
Subject(s) - uranium oxide , uranium , nuclear fuel , nuclear engineering , homogeneous , oxide , spent nuclear fuel , nuclear reprocessing , depleted uranium , materials science , nuclear reactor core , mox fuel , environmental science , waste management , metallurgy , engineering , physics , thermodynamics
UPuO 2 oxide fuel was compared with denser UPuN, UPuZr, U fuels to look into specifics of fuel production methods, manufacture, utilization in fast reactors and reprocessing. It is shown that uranium metal offers advantages in such parameters as density, thermal conductivity and ease of manufacturing of fuel meats. At that, no additional difficulties arise with the mastered technology of irradiated fuel reprocessing. Options of non-enriched uranium metal placement into the fast reactor core with the UPuO 2 oxide fuel are provided. As regards the nuclear-physical characteristics, heterogeneous oxide-metal cores with FA, intra-FA or intra fuel elements heterogenization with the ratio of UPuO2 to U equal to 2:1 are similar to homogeneous cores with dense UPuN or UPuZr fuels. Such cores have the breeding ratio of the core (BRC) ≥1.0 required for the reactor safety. Components of such oxide-metal heterogeneous fuel elements and FAs with uranium fuel meats of various types passed the stages of technological development, reactor testing and post irradiation examinations.