Post-irradiation Examinations on Fast Reactor Metal Fuels Containing Minor Actinides - Fission gas release and metallography of ~2.5 at.% burnup fuels -

Fast reactor metal fuels containing minor actinides (MAs) Np, Am and Cm and rare earths (REs) are being developed. Based on previous experimental results of MA- and RE-containing U-Pu-Zr alloy properties, three types of test fuels U-19Pu-10Zr-2MA-2RE, U-19Pu-10Zr-5MA and U-19Pu-10Zr-5MA-5RE (wt.%) and the reference fuel U-19Pu-10Zr were prepared for irradiation experiment in the fast reactor PHÉNIX. The burnup goal was set at ~2.5at.%, ~7.0at.% or ~10.0at.%, and the projected irradiation has been completed by May 2008. After cooling, the post-irradiation examinations for low-burnup fuel pins have been started at the Institute for Transuranium Elements. Plenum gas analysis revealed that the irradiation behavior on fission gas release and bond sodium extrusion from the MA-containing test fuels is consistent with that of conventional U-Pu-Zr fuels. The distribution of fuel matrix phases and the characteristic appearance of MAs (and REs) inclusions were observed by cross-sectional optical microscopy

OHTA Hirokazu;  PAPAIOANNOU Dimitrios;  OGATA T;  YOKOO Takeshi;  KOYAMA T.;  RONDINELLA Vincenzo;  GLATZ Jean-Paul; 

2013-03-21

Société Française d'Energie Nucléaire

JRC59683