Procedimento de fabricação de elementos combustível a base de dispersão com alta concentração de urânio / Fabrication procedures for manufacturing high uranium concentration dispersion fuel elements

AUTOR(ES)
FONTE

IBICT - Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

11/11/2011

RESUMO

IPEN-CNEN/SP developed the technology to produce the dispersion type fuel elements for research reactors and made it available for routine production. Today, the fuel produced in IPEN-CNEN/SP is limited to the uranium concentration of 3.0 gU/cm3 for U3Si2-Al dispersion-based and 2.3 gU/cm3 for U3O8-Al dispersion. The increase of uranium concentration in fuel plates enables the reactivity of the reactor core reactivity to be higher and extends the fuel life. Concerning technology, it is possible to increase the uranium concentration in the fuel meat up to the limit of 4.8 gU/cm3 in U3Si2-Al dispersion and 3.2 gU/cm3 U3O8-Al dispersion. These dispersions are well qualified worldwide. This work aims to develop the manufacturing process of both fuel meats with high uranium concentrations, by redefining the manufacturing procedures currently adopted in the Nuclear Fuel Center of IPEN-CNEN/SP. Based on the results, it was concluded that to achieve the desired concentration, it is necessary to make some changes in the established procedures, such as in the particle size of the fuel powder and in the feeding process inside the matrix, before briquette pressing. These studies have also shown that the fuel plates, with a high concentration of U3Si2-Al, met the used specifications. On the other hand, the appearance of the microstructure obtained from U3O8-Al dispersion fuel plates with 3.2 gU/cm3 showed to be unsatisfactory, due to the considerably significant porosity observed. The developed fabrication procedure was applied to U3Si2 production at 4.8 gU/cm3, with enriched uranium. The produced plates were used to assemble the fuel element IEA-228, which was irradiated in order to check its performance in the IEA-R1 reactor at IPEN-CNEN/SP. These new fuels have potential to be used in the new Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor - RMB.

ASSUNTO(S)

combustível nuclear dispersions dispersões fabricação fuel plates nuclear fuel nuclear fuel manufacturing placas combustíveis u3o8-al u3o8-al u3si2-al u3si2-al

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