Nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly adapted to permit expansion of the nuclear fuel contained therein

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9721679-B2
Application number	US-8207708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2008
Priority date	Apr 8, 2008
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly adapted to permit expansion of the nuclear fuel contained therein. The fuel assembly comprises an enclosure having enclosure walls to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids or a plurality of closed-cell voids. The voids permit expansion of the foam toward the voids, which expansion may be due to heat generation and/or fission gas release. The voids shrink or reduce in volume as the foam expands. Pressure on the enclosure walls is substantially reduced because the foam expands toward and even into the voids rather than against the enclosure walls. Thus, the voids provide space into which the foam can expand.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly, comprising the step of disposing an enclosure in a nuclear reactor vessel, said enclosure sealingly enclosing a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of spatially distributed open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam to facilitate transport of volatile fission products generated by the nuclear fuel foam.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of spatially distributed open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam to permit expansion of the nuclear fuel foam.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a fissile nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a fertile nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a thorium nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a uranium nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a mixture of fissile and fertile nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose an uncoated nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose an oxide nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a nitride nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so that the enclosure is capable of being disposed in a fast neutron nuclear reactor and is capable of sealingly enclosing a nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam having a polygonal-shaped geometry in transverse cross-section.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of disposing the enclosure comprises disposing the enclosure so as to sealingly enclose a nuclear fuel foam having a parallelepiped geometry.

15. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of associating a heat absorber with said enclosure, the heat absorber adapted to be in heat transfer communication with the nuclear fuel foam for absorbing the heat generated by the nuclear fuel foam.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of associating the heat absorber comprises associating the heat absorber that is a flowing fluid.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of associating the heat absorber comprises associating the heat absorber that is a phase-changing composition.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of associating the heat absorber comprises associating the heat absorber that is a thermo-electric material.

19. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the step of associating the heat absorber with the enclosure comprises extending a heat absorber conduit through the nuclear fuel foam, the heat absorber conduit being capable of carrying a cooling fluid therealong in heat transfer communication with the nuclear fuel foam for absorbing the heat generated by the nuclear fuel foam.

20. A method of operating a nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly, the method comprising:
fissioning with a nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly having nuclear fuel foam sealingly disposed therein, the nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam;
generating volatile fission products by the nuclear fuel foam; and
transporting, in the plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam, the volatile fission products generated by the nuclear fuel foam.

21. A method of operating a nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly, the method comprising:
fissioning with a nuclear fission reactor fuel assembly having nuclear fuel foam sealingly disposed therein, the nuclear fuel foam defining a plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam;
generating volatile fission products by the nuclear fuel foam; and
expanding the nuclear fuel foam into the plurality of interconnected open-cell voids within the nuclear fuel foam.

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 Jr Lowell L
• 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 Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• Y02E30/34

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• 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

• G21C3/18

  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

• G21C3/28

  with fissile or breeder material in solid form within a non-active casing · CPC title

• G21C3/16

  Details of the construction within the casing · CPC title