International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Next Generation Nuclear Systems for Sustainable Development (FR17)

A High Density Uranium Zirconium Carbonitride LEU Fuel for Application in Fast Reactors

27 Jun 2017, 17:30

1h 30m

Poster Area (Yekaterinburg)

POSTER Track 5. Fast Reactor Materials (Fuels and Structures) and Technology Poster Session 1

Speaker

Mr S Sikorin (The Joint Institute for Power and Nuclear Research SOSNY of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus)

Description

For many years, Russian researchers have developed and tested a high density, high temperature U-Zr-C-N fuel for potential application in different types of reactors, including fast reactors. As part of this effort, reactor tests have been performed to low burnup. However, reactor-testing data is still needed at high burnup to confirm the optimal performance of the fuel. The SM-3 reactor, which is a high-flux reactor located in Dmitrovgrad, Russia, will be used to test a U-Zr-C-N (U0.9Zr0.1C0.5N0.5) fuel to ~40% burnup. The fuel will then be examined to determine its performance during irradiation. The fuel that will be tested has a density of 11.9 g/cm3 and an enrichment of 19.75% (uranium-235), and the uranium density of this fuel material is 10.8 g/cm3. About 1000 effective days of irradiation will be required to achieve the targeted burnup. This presentation will discuss the details of the planned irradiation, along with results of out-of-pile research that has been performed on the as-fabricated fuel. The positive characteristics of the U-Zr-C-N fuel will be discussed, and comparisons will be made to other fuel types.

Country/Int. Organization

Belarus/SOSNY of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

Presentation materials

Material

Keiser_Fast_Reactor_Conference_2017_Paper_v3.docx