Achievements on Oxide and Nitride ADS Fuels within the European Project: EUROTRANS.

Abstract

One major item in the assessment of the feasibility of Minor Actinide transmutation in ADS systems deals with the fuel, that can be described as highly innovative in comparison with fuels used in a critical core. Indeed, the fuel composition, with high concentrations (up to 50%) of Minor Actinides and plutonium, results in significant production of helium during irradiation as well as high gamma, neutron emissions and heat in fabrication and handling stages. Studies on fuel development within the European project EUROTRANS, motivated by assessing the industrial practicability for actinides transmutation, have provided a wide range of results. CERamic-CERamic and CERamic-METallic composite fuels consisting of particles of (Pu,MA)O2 dispersed in a magnesia or molybdenum matrix were investigated as primary candidates. Fuel performance and safety of preliminary core designs for a prospective 400MWth transmuter: the European Facility for Industrial Transmutation, were evaluated to support the project. Out-of-pile as well as in-pile experiments were carried out to gain essential knowledge on properties and behaviour under irradiation of these types of fuel. Nitride-based fuels were considered as a back-up solution, due to a limited know-how in Europe. Significant progress has nevertheless been made through a JAEA partnership and Post-Irradiation Examinations conducted on (Pu,Zr)N fuels irradiated at high linear power in the Petten High Flux Reactor. The current paper gives an overview of progress on both oxide and nitride fuels gained within the project.