Metal Fuel Development and Verification for Prototype Generation IV Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

• Main Authors: Chan Bock Lee, Jin Sik Cheon, Sung Ho Kim, Jeong-Yong Park, Hyung-Kook Joo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-10-01
• Series: Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• Subjects: Ferritic–Martensitic Steel; Irradiation Test; Metal Fuel; Pyroelectrochemical; Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor; Spent Fuel; Transuranic Fuel
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573316301322

Metal fuel is being developed for the prototype generation-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) to be built by 2028. U–Zr fuel is a driver for the initial core of the PGSFR, and U–transuranics (TRU)–Zr fuel will gradually replace U–Zr fuel through its qualification in the PGSFR. Based on the vast worldwide experiences of U–Zr fuel, work on U–Zr fuel is focused on fuel design, fabrication of fuel components, and fuel verification tests. U–TRU–Zr fuel uses TRU recovered through pyroelectrochemical processing of spent PWR (pressurized water reactor) fuels, which contains highly radioactive minor actinides and chemically active lanthanide or rare earth elements as carryover impurities. An advanced fuel slug casting system, which can prevent vaporization of volatile elements through a control of the atmospheric pressure of the casting chamber and also deal with chemically active lanthanide elements using protective coatings in the casting crucible, was developed. Fuel cladding of the ferritic–martensitic steel FC92, which has higher mechanical strength at a high temperature than conventional HT9 cladding, was developed and fabricated, and is being irradiated in the fast reactor.