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Development and Validation of Capabilities to Measure Thermal Properties of Layered Monolithic U–Mo Alloy Plate-Type Fuel

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Abstract

The uranium–molybdenum (U–Mo) alloy in a monolithic form has been proposed as one fuel design capable of converting some of the world’s highest power research reactors from the use of high enriched uranium to low enriched uranium. One aspect of the fuel development and qualification process is to demonstrate appropriate understanding of the thermal-conductivity behavior of the fuel system as a function of temperature and expected irradiation conditions. The purpose of this paper is to verify functionality of equipment installed in hot cells for eventual measurements on irradiated uranium–molybdenum (U–Mo) monolithic fuel specimens, refine procedures to operate the equipment, and validate models to extract the desired thermal properties. The results presented here demonstrate the adequacy of the equipment, procedures, and models that have been developed for this purpose based on measurements conducted on surrogate depleted uranium–molybdenum (DU–Mo) alloy samples containing a Zr diffusion barrier and clad in aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061). The results are in excellent agreement with thermal property data reported in the literature for similar U–Mo alloys as a function of temperature.

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Notes

  1. A monolithic fuel plate contains a solid piece of fuel material.

  2. Fuel meat is a combination of fuel materials with a non-fissionable heat conducting (matrix) material, confined inside a fuel plate.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Mr. Jason Schulthess, Mr. Adam Robinson, Mr. Glenn Moore, Mr. Brady Mackowiak, Mr. Blair Park, Dr. Barry Rabin, and Mrs. Susan Case from Idaho National Laboratory for the fabrication of the surrogate plates and delivery of the surrogate mini-plates. Installation of equipment into hot cells and the operations conducted in hot cells are a large undertaking. The authors wish to acknowledge those at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who were involved in the preparation of samples and performance of measurements, specifically Ms. Nicole Green, Mr. Jake Bohlke, Mr. Jamin Trevino, Mr. Dustin Blundon, Ms. Brittany Carman, Mr. Jason Cartwright, Mr. Jeffrey Chenault, Mr. Steve Halstead, Mr. Eric Hanson, Mr. Kevin Heaton, Mr. Robert Orton, Mr. Stan Owsley, Mr. Ben Palma, Mr. Mario Pereira, Mr. Bruce Slonecker, Mr. Timothy Smith, Mr. Randy Thornhill, and Mr. Patrick Valdez. Finally, the authors wish to acknowledge the sponsor, the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, for the opportunity to conduct this work under Contract DE–AC05-76RL01830.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Systems Design, Engineering & Analysis Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, MSIN K8-34, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Douglas E. Burkes & Andrew M. Casella

  2. Nuclear Chemistry & Engineering Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, MSIN K8-34, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Edgar C. Buck, Amanda J. Casella, Matthew K. Edwards, Paul J. MacFarlan, Karl N. Pool & Frances N. Smith

  3. Shielded Facilities Operations, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, MSIN K8-34, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Franciska H. Steen

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  1. Douglas E. Burkes
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Correspondence to Douglas E. Burkes.

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Burkes, D.E., Casella, A.M., Buck, E.C. et al. Development and Validation of Capabilities to Measure Thermal Properties of Layered Monolithic U–Mo Alloy Plate-Type Fuel. Int J Thermophys 35, 1476–1500 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-014-1683-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-014-1683-4

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