Accident tolerant fuel cladding development: Promise, status, and challenges

Metallic Fast Reactor Fuels

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative liquid metal reactor concept being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. It seeks to specifically exploit the inherent properties of liquid metal cooling and metallic fuel in a way that leads to substantial improvements in the characteristics of the complete reactor system. The IFR concept consists of four technical features: (1) liquid sodium cooling, (2) pool-type reactor configuration, (3) metallic fuel, and (4) an integral fuel cycle, based on pyrometallurgical processing and injection-cast fuel fabrication, with the fuel cycle facility collocated with the reactor, if so desired.

The Integral Fast Reactor

Fuels for sodium-cooled fast reactors: US perspective

http://www.efn-uk.org/l-street/closed-cycles/index_files/Carmack-metallicFuels2009.pdf

Metallic fuels for advanced reactors

Renewed interest in metallic fuels for liquid-metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs) has arisen for several reasons: The excellent performance demonstrated by metallic fuel, particularly at Experimental Breeder Reactor II; the demonstrated transient capability; the inherent compatibility with the sodium coolant; and the potential for superior breeding gain are primary benefits. The performance of metallic fuels in LMFBRs is summarized, then the state of the art for the metallic fuel types that are regarded as principal candidates for LMFBR applications are assessed. After listing the key issues that exist for metallic fuels, recommendations are made for resolving those issues.

Performance of metallic fuels and blankets in liquid-metal fast breeder reactors

/pdf/effect-of-cold-work-and-annealing-on-the-thermoelectric-2sdlzy3sh9.pdf

J. Howard Kittel

Papers

Performance of metallic fuels and blankets in liquid-metal fast breeder reactors

Effect of Cold Work and Annealing on the Thermoelectric Power of Molybdenum