Nuclear fuel rod for fast reactors including metallic fuel slug coated with protective coating layer and fabrication method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9589680-B2
Application number	US-201314079740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2013
Priority date	Jan 18, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A nuclear fuel rod for fast reactors includes a metallic fuel slug coated with a protective coating layer. In embodiments, a nuclear fuel rod for fast reactors includes a uranium and zirconium fuel slug having a single protective coating which is an oxide layer having a thickness in the range of 0.5 μm to 100 μm, and the protective coating layer may be configured to (i) prevent interdiffusion between the fuel slug and a cladding tube during fast reactor operation, and (ii) prevent a cladding tube from thinning during fission operation in a fast reactor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fast reactor nuclear fuel element comprising:
a metallic fuel slug,
the fuel slug consisting essentially of a uranium (U) and zirconium (Zr) alloy; a protective coating layer of an oxide layer,
the protective coating layer is coated on a surface of the fuel slug, which causes
the fuel slug to be coated with a single protective coating layer of an oxide layer,
the single protective coating layer is formed by oxidation of the fuel slug, thickness of the single protective coating layer is in a range of 0.5 μm to 100 μm, and
the single protective coating layer is preformed on the fuel slug surface prior to fuel slug usage in a fast reactor,
the single protective coating layer is configured to prevent interdiffusion between the fuel slug and a cladding tube, to prevent the cladding tube from thinning during fission operation in the fast reactor.

2. A nuclear fuel rod configured for use with a fast reactor comprising:
a fast reactor nuclear fuel element of claim 1 ; and
a cladding tube sealing the metal fuel slug.

3. The nuclear fuel rod as set forth in claim 2 , wherein the cladding tube comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), titanium (Ti), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and boron (B).

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Lee Chan Bock
• Kim Jun Hwan
• Baek Jong-Hyuk
• Cheon Jin-Sik
• Lee Byoungoon
• Kim Ki Hwan
• Kim Sung-Ho
• Kim Junehyung
• Oh Seok-Jin
• Ko Young-Mo
• Woo Yoon-Myeong
• Yang Seong Woo

Classifications

• G21C1/02

  Fast fission reactors, i.e. reactors not using a moderator {; Metal cooled reactors; Fast breeders} · CPC title

• G21C3/04

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G21C21/02

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

• G21C3/20 Primary

  with coating on fuel or on inside of casing; with non-active interlayer between casing and active material {with multiple casings or multiple active layers} · CPC title

• G21C3/047

  Pellet-clad interaction · CPC title