AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition
    Actinides and Rare Earths Focus Topic Tuesday Sessions
       Session AC+EN-TuM

Invited Paper AC+EN-TuM1
Novel Concepts for Enhanced Metallic Nuclear Fuel Performance

Tuesday, October 30, 2012, 8:00 am, Room 006

Session: Energetic Materials Issues for Nuclear Power: Fuels, Corrosion and Waste Disposal
Presenter: J.R. Kennedy, Idaho National Laboratory
Authors: J.R. Kennedy, Idaho National Laboratory
R.D. Mariani, Idaho National Laboratory
D.L. Porter, Idaho National Laboratory
S.L. Hayes, Idaho National Laboratory
H.J.M. Chichester, Idaho National Laboratory
A.E. Wright, Argonne National Laboratory
Y.S. Kim, Argonne National Laboratory
A.M. Yacout, Argonne National Laboratory
G.L. Hofman, Argonne National Laboratory
R.P. Omberg, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
D.J. Senor, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
The Advanced Fuels Campaign of the Fuel Cycle Research andDevelopment (FCRD) program of the Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE/NE) ischarged with the mission to develop and qualify fuel forms that can be used 1)to close the nuclear fuel cycle, 2) to increase fuel performance in reactor,and 3) be accident tolerant. In thefirst case, metallic fuels composed of (U,Pu,Np,Am)Zr alloys are beingdeveloped with the intention to transmute the transuranic isotopes in fastspectrum reactors. In the second case, increasing fuelperformance, fuel forms are being developed that may, for example, allow higherlevels of burnup in either fast spectrum or thermal spectrum reactors (lightwater reactors - LWR). In the finalcase, fuel forms that have an inherently higher level of tolerance to offnormal conditions are being developed in response to the Fukushima Daiichiaccident. A number of innovativeconcepts will be presented with respect to the above including decreased fuelsmear densities, annular fuel forms, cladding coatings or liners to preventfuel-cladding chemical interactions, gas vented fuel pin designs, advancedfabrication methods such as fuel-clad co-extrusion, U-Mo based fuel alloys,and, of particular interest to this session’s topical area, targeted fuel alloyadditions into the actinide fuel composition that will sequester rare earthfission product migration to the fuel-cladding interface. Rare earth fission products have beenimplicated in enhancing detrimental fuel-cladding chemical interactions. These fuel development activities are a collaborationof Idaho National Laboratory with Argonne National Laboratory and with PacificNorthwest National Laboratory.