Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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POST-IRRADIATION ANALYSES OF U-MO DISPERSION FUEL RODS OF KOMO TESTS AT HANARO

  • Ryu, H.J. (Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) ;
  • Park, J.M. (Research Reactor Fuel Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Jeong, Y.J. (Research Reactor Fuel Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Lee, K.H. (Research Reactor Fuel Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Lee, Y.S. (Research Reactor Fuel Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, C.K. (Research Reactor Fuel Development Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) ;
  • Kim, Y.S. (Nuclear Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory)
  • Received : 2013.11.08
  • Published : 2013.12.20
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Abstract

Since 2001, a series of five irradiation test campaigns for atomized U-Mo dispersion fuel rods, KOMO-1, -2, -3, -4, and -5, has been conducted at HANARO (Korea) in order to develop high performance low enriched uranium dispersion fuel for research reactors. The KOMO irradiation tests provided valuable information on the irradiation behavior of U-Mo fuel that results from the distinct fuel design and irradiation conditions of the rod fuel for HANARO. Full size U-Mo dispersion fuel rods of 4-5 $g-U/cm^3$ were irradiated at a maximum linear power of approximately 105 kW/m up to 85% of the initial U-235 depletion burnup without breakaway swelling or fuel cladding failure. Electron probe microanalyses of the irradiated samples showed localized distribution of the silicon that was added in the matrix during fuel fabrication and confirmed its beneficial effect on interaction layer growth during irradiation. The modifications of U-Mo fuel particles by the addition of a ternary alloying element (Ti or Zr), additional protective coatings (silicide or nitride), and the use of larger fuel particles resulted in significantly reduced interaction layers between fuel particles and Al.

Keywords

References

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