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Structural and Fuel Materials for the Fuel Elements of Thermionic Nuclear Power Systems

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Abstract

The characteristic properties of hardened single-crystal alloys (Mo-Nb, W-Nb, W-Ta) and UO2-x with open thermally stabilized porosity are presented. The combination of the indicated materials makes thermionic fuel elements very stable with a long service life. It is shown that the use of porous uranium dioxide under temperature conditions resulting in restructuring makes it possible to decrease the size of the columnar grains and increase the creep rate of the dioxide with optimal porosity and pore size. A model oxide fuel, which has been developed, with fission-product simulators for rapid determination under extra-reactor conditions of the properties of uranium with deep burnup and for performing accelerated reactor tests is described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Luch Scientific-Research Institute and Scientific-Industrial Association, Russia

    A. S. Gontar', M. V. Nelidov, Yu. V. Nikolaev, E. M. Rakitskaya, I. I. Fedik & A. A. Yastrebkov

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  1. A. S. Gontar'
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  2. M. V. Nelidov
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  3. Yu. V. Nikolaev
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  4. E. M. Rakitskaya
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  5. I. I. Fedik
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  6. A. A. Yastrebkov
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Translated from Atomnaya Energiya, Vol. 99, No. 5, pp. 365–371, November, 2005.

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Gontar', A.S., Nelidov, M.V., Nikolaev, Y.V. et al. Structural and Fuel Materials for the Fuel Elements of Thermionic Nuclear Power Systems. At Energy 99, 799–805 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-006-0019-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-006-0019-2

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