Uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet having ceramic microcells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10043595-B2
Application number	US-201314060432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2013
Priority date	Dec 31, 2012
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet has about 50 to about 400 μM (with respect to a 3-dimentional size) microcells formed of a ceramic material having a chemical attraction with fission products generated in the nuclear fuel pellet to absorb and trap the fission products, such that the extraction of the fission product may be retrained in a normal operation condition and that the performance of the nuclear fuel may be enhanced by mitigating PCI. In addition, highly radioactive fission products including Cs and I having a large generation amount or a long half-life enough to affect the environments can be trapped in the pellet in an accident condition, without being released outside.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet comprising:
uranium dioxide grains; and micro-partitions partitioning and contacting the uranium dioxide grains,
wherein the micro-partitions consist essentially of a ceramic material that melts in a temperature range of 1200-1800° C.,
wherein the ceramic material is a mixture comprising two or more selected from the group consisting of Si-compounds, Ti-compounds, Al-compounds, Mg-compounds, and Mn-compounds, and
wherein the mixture further comprises the Ti-compounds in an amount of at least 37.08 wt % or the Mn-compounds in an amount of 14.0 wt %.

2. The uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet of claim 1 , further comprising:
metallic particles dispersed in the uranium dioxide grains and configured to react with oxygen more easily than uranium dioxide does.

3. The uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet according to claim 2 , wherein the metallic particles comprise Cr or Mo.

4. The uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet according to claim 2 , wherein an average size of the metallic particles is about 0.3 μm to about 10 μm.

5. The uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet according to claim 1 , wherein the micro-partitions define a plurality of microcells, wherein each of at least some of the microcells contains a single grain of uranium oxide.

6. The uranium dioxide nuclear fuel pellet according to claim 1 , wherein one of the micro-partitions is located between two immediately neighboring grains of the uranium dioxide grains and contacts the two immediately neighboring grains.

Assignees

• Korea Atomic Energy Res
• Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co

Inventors

• Kim Keon-Sik
• Koo Yang-Hyun
• Kim Jong-Hun
• Oh Jangsoo
• Rhee Young Woo
• Kim Dong-Joo
• Yang Jae-Ho

Classifications

• G21C21/02

  Manufacture of fuel elements or breeder elements contained in non-active casings · CPC title

• G21C3/044 Primary

  Fuel elements with porous or capillary structure · CPC title

• G21C3/17

  Means for storage or immobilisation of gases in fuel elements · CPC title

• G21C3/16

  Details of the construction within the casing · CPC title

• G21C3/62

  Ceramic fuel · CPC title