Aplicação de métodos não destrutivos para qualificação de combustíveis tipo dispersão de U308-Al e U3Si2-Al no reator IEA-R1 / Application of non-destructive methods for qualification of the U3O8-Al and U3Si2-Al dispersion fuels in the IEA-R1 Reactor

AUTOR(ES)
FONTE

IBICT - Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

24/11/2011

RESUMO

IPEN/CNEN-SP manufactures fuels to be used in its nuclear research reactor the IEA-R1. To qualify those fuels, it is necessary to check if they have a good performance under irradiation. As Brazil doesnt have nuclear research reactors with high neutron fluxes, or suitable hot cells for carrying out post-irradiation examination of nuclear fuels, IPEN/CNEN-SP has conducted a fuel qualification program based on the use of uranium compounds, internationally tested and qualified to be used in research reactors, and has gotten experience in the technological development stages for the manufacturing of fuel plates, irradiation and non-destructive post-irradiation testing. Fuel elements containing low volume fractions of fuel in the dispersion were manufactured and irradiated successfully directly in the core of the IEA-R1. However, there are plans to increase the uranium density of these fuels. The objective of this thesis work was to study and to propose a set of non-destructive methods to qualify the dispersions fuels U3O8-Al e U3Si2-Al with high uranium density produced at IPEN/CNEN-SP. For that, the irradiation resources in the IEA-R1, and the application of non-destructive methods in the reactor pool available in the Institution were considered. The proposal is to specify, manufacture and irradiate fuel miniplates in IEA-R1 at the maximum densities, qualified internationally, and to monitor their general conditions during the period of irradiation, using non-destructive methods in the reactor pool. In addition to the non-destructives visual inspection and sipping methods, already used at the Institution, the infrastructure for dimensional sub-aquatic testing to evaluate the swelling of irradiated fuel miniplates was completed. The analyses of the results will provide means to assess and decide whether or not to continue with the irradiation of miniplates, until the desired burnup for the irradiation tests at IEA-R1 are reached.

ASSUNTO(S)

combustíveis a dispersão dispersion fuels fuel miniplate fuel qualification iea-r1 research reactor métodos não destrutivos miniplaca combustível non-destructive methods qualificação do combustível reator de pesquisas iea-r1

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