Nuclear fuel rod including disk-type burnable absorber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021125736-A1
Application number	US-202016797309-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2020
Priority date	Oct 29, 2019
Publication date	Apr 29, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed is a nuclear fuel rod including at least one or more fuel pellets, a cladding tube surrounding the fuel pellets, and burnable absorber inside the cladding tube. The burnable absorber comprises a burnable absorber material and a cladding material surrounding the burnable absorber material. The burnable absorber has a disk shape, and the cladding material is an alloy comprising zirconium.

First claim

1 . A nuclear fuel rod comprising at least one or more fuel pellets, a cladding tube surrounding the at least one or more fuel pellets, and at least one or more burnable absorbers inside the cladding tube,
wherein each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers comprises a burnable absorber material and a cladding material surrounding a perimeter edge, a top surface, and a bottom surface of the burnable absorber material, each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers absorber has a disk shape, the cladding material is a zirconium-based alloy capable of being used as a cladding tube material, and each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers is located on a respective one of the at least one or more fuel pellets.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 , wherein in the nuclear fuel rod, each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers is located between at least two or more fuel pellets.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 , wherein the burnable absorber material comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of Gadolinium (Gd), gadolinia (Gd 2 O 3 ), erbium (Er), Er 2 O 3 , and boron carbide (B 4 C).

6 . (canceled)

7 . The nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers is equal to the diameter of the at least one or more fuel pellets.

8 . The nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers is approximately 0.1 mm-2.0 mm.

9 . The nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 , wherein in each of the at least one or more burnable absorbers, the diameter of the burnable absorber material is approximately 30-95% of the diameter of the at least one or more fuel pellets.

10 - 11 . (canceled)

12 . A method for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod, the method comprising:
preparing disk-shaped burnable absorbers, each including a burnable absorber material and a cladding material surrounding a perimeter edge, a top surface, and a bottom surface of the burnable absorber material, the cladding material being a zirconium-based alloy capable of being used as a cladding tube material; and alternately stacking, in a cladding tube, at least one or more fuel pellets and said at least one or more burnable absorbers.

13 . A nuclear reactor comprising the nuclear fuel rod of claim 1 .

14 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Korea Advanced Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Kim Yonghee
• Jang Seongdong
• Nguyen Xuan Ha

Classifications

• G21C3/18 Primary

  Internal spacers or other non-active material within the casing, e.g. compensating for expansion of fuel rods or for compensating excess reactivity (interlayers G21C3/20) · CPC title

• G21C3/045

  Pellets · CPC title

• G21C3/06 Primary

  Casings; Jackets · CPC title

• G21C3/62

  Ceramic fuel · CPC title

• G21C3/07

  characterised by their material, e.g. alloys · CPC title