Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1997 International RERTR Meeting

IRRADIATION TESTING OF HIGH-DENSITY URANIUM ALLOY
DISPERSION FUELS

S. L. Hayes, C. L. Trybus, and M. K. Meyer

Engineering Division
Argonne National Laboratory
Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2528 USA

ABSTRACT

Two irradiation test vehicles have been designed, fabricated, and inserted into the Advanced Test Reactor in Idaho. Irradiation of these experiments began in August 1997. These irradiation tests were designed to obtain irradiation performance information on a variety of potential new, high-density dispersion fuels. Each of the two irradiation vehicles contains 32 "microplates." Each microplate is aluminum clad, having an aluminum matrix phase and containing one of the following compositions as the fuel phase: U-10Mo, U-8Mo, U-6Mo, U-4Mo, U-9Nb-3Zr, U-6Nb-4Zr, U-5Nb-3Zr, U-6Mo-lPt, U-6Mo-0.6Ru, UlOMo-0.05Sn, U2Mo, or U₃Si₂. These experiments will be discharged at peak fuel burnups of approximately 40 and 80 at.% U²³⁵. Of particular interest are the extent of reaction of the fuel and matrix phases and the fission gas retention/swelling characteristics of these new fuel alloys. This paper presents the design of the irradiation vehicles and the irradiation conditions.

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