Commercial thorium fuel manufacture and irradiation: Testing (Th,Pu)O-2 and (Th,U)O-2 in the "Seven-Thirty" program
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2015

Thorium based fuels are being tested in the Halden Research Reactor in Norway with the aim of producing the data necessary for licensing of these fuels in today's light water reactors. The fuel types currently under irradiation are thorium oxide fuel with plutonium as the fissile component, and uranium fuel with thorium as an additive for enhancement of thermo-mechanical and neutronic fuel properties. Fuel temperatures, rod pressures and dimensional changes are monitored on-line for quantification of thermo-mechanical behavior and fission gas release. Preliminary irradiation results show benefits in terms of lower fuel temperatures, mainly caused by improved thermal conductivity of the thorium fuels. In parallel with the irradiation, a manufacturing procedure for thorium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel is developed with the aim to manufacture industrially relevant high-quality fuel pellets for the next phase of the irradiation campaign.

Irradiation

Plutonium

Thorium

Halden test reactor

Thorium fuel manufacture

Författare

Klara L Insulander Björk

Chalmers, Teknisk fysik, Nukleär teknik

S. S. Drera

Thor Energy

J. F. Kelly

Thor Energy

C. Vitanza

Institutt for energiteknikk

C. Helsengreen

Institutt for energiteknikk

T. Tverberg

Institutt for energiteknikk

M. Sobieska

Institutt for energiteknikk

B. C. Oberlander

Institutt for energiteknikk

H. Tuomisto

Fortum Corporation

L. Kekkonen

Fortum Corporation

J. Wright

Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB

U. Bergmann

Westinghouse Electric Sweden AB

D. P. Mathers

National Nuclear Laboratory

Annals of Nuclear Energy

0306-4549 (ISSN) 1873-2100 (eISSN)

Vol. 75 79-86

Ämneskategorier

Annan teknik

DOI

10.1016/j.anucene.2014.06.039

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Senast uppdaterat

2018-03-27