Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9443623-B2
Application number	US-38652409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2009
Priority date	Apr 16, 2009
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly and system configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product and heat released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor and method for same. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure adapted to enclose a porous nuclear fuel body having the volatile fission product therein. A fluid control subassembly is coupled to the enclosure and adapted to control removal of at least a portion of the volatile fission product from the porous nuclear fuel body. In addition, the fluid control subassembly is capable of circulating a heat removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body in order to remove heat generated by the nuclear fuel body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly configured for controlled removal of a volatile fission product released by a burn wave in a traveling wave nuclear fission reactor, comprising:
a porous nuclear fuel body having a volatile fission product therein;
an enclosure enclosing the porous nuclear fuel body therein;
a fluid control subassembly coupled to the enclosure to control removal of at least a portion of the volatile fission product from the porous nuclear fuel body; and
a control unit coupled to the fluid control subassembly to control operation of the fluid control subassembly to controllably release the volatile fission product in response to a selected parameter in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

2. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the selected parameter includes a power level in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

3. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the selected parameter includes a neutron population level in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

4. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the selected parameter includes a volatile fission product pressure level in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

5. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said the control unit is adapted to permit a controlled release of the volatile fission product in response to a time schedule associated with the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

6. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is adapted to permit a controlled release of the volatile fission product in response to an amount of time the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor is operated.

7. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid control subassembly is adapted to permit a controlled release of the volatile fission product in response to a position of the burn wave in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

8. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a fissile material forms the porous nuclear fuel body.

9. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a fertile material forms the porous nuclear fuel body.

10. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein a mixture of fissile and fertile material forms the porous nuclear fuel body.

11. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body defines a plurality of channels.

12. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of particles defining the plurality of channels therebetween.

13. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of pores, at least some of the plurality of pores being of a predetermined configuration for allowing at least a portion of the volatile fission product to escape the pores of the nuclear fuel body within a predetermined response time.

14. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of pores for allowing at least a portion of the volatile fission product to escape within a predetermined response time of between approximately 10 seconds and approximately 1,000 seconds.

15. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of pores for allowing at least a portion of the volatile fission product to escape within a predetermined response time of between approximately one second and approximately 10,000 seconds.

16. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a cylindrical-shaped geometry.

17. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a polygonal-shaped geometry.

18. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of pores for acquiring the volatile fission product released by the burn wave in the traveling wave nuclear fission reactor.

19. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body has a plurality of pores for transporting the volatile fission product through the porous nuclear fuel body.

20. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a reservoir coupled to the fluid control subassembly for receiving the volatile fission product.

21. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid control subassembly is configured for circulating a fission product removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body, at least a portion of the volatile fission product being removed from the porous nuclear fuel body while the fluid control subassembly circulates the fission product removal fluid through the porous nuclear fuel body.

22. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 21 , wherein the fluid control subassembly includes an inlet subassembly for supplying the fission product removal fluid to the porous nuclear fuel body.

23. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 21 , wherein the fluid control subassembly includes an outlet subassembly for removing the fission product removal fluid from the porous nuclear fuel body.

24. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 21 , further comprising a reservoir coupled to the fluid control subassembly for receiving the fission product removal fluid.

25. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 21 , further comprising a reservoir coupled to the fluid control subassembly for supplying the fission product removal fluid.

26. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body defines a plurality of pores therein and wherein the fluid control subassembly is configured for circulating a gas through the pores of the porous nuclear fuel body.

27. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the porous nuclear fuel body defines a plurality of pores therein and wherein the fluid control subassembly is configured for circulating a liquid through the pores of the porous nuclear fuel body.

28. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid control subassembly includes a pump.

29. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a pump integrally connected to the fluid control subassembly for pumping a fluid from the fluid control subassembly to the porous nuclear fuel body.

30. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising a valve interposed between the enclosure and the fluid control subassembly for controlling flow of a fluid between the enclosure and the fluid control subassembly.

31. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according to claim 30 , wherein the valve includes a back-flow prevention valve.

32. The nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly according t

Assignees

• Ahlfeld Charles E
• Gilleland John Rogers
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Mcalees David G
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Weaver Thomas Allan
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Victoria Y H
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Zimmerman George B
• Terrapower Llc

Inventors

• Ahlfeld Charles E
• Gilleland John Rogers
• Hyde Roderick A
• Ishikawa Muriel Y
• Mcalees David G
• Myhrvold Nathan P
• Tegreene Clarence T
• Weaver Thomas Allan
• Whitmer Charles
• Wood Victoria Y H
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Zimmerman George B

Classifications

• Y02E30/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E30/39

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G21C3/00

  Reactor fuel elements and their assemblies; Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel elements · CPC title

• G21C1/026

  Reactors not needing refuelling, i.e. reactors of the type breed-and-burn, e.g. travelling or deflagration wave reactors or seed-blanket reactors · CPC title

• G21C7/00

  Control of nuclear reaction · CPC title