Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the Meeting
Microstructure of 50 Year Old SCK●CEN BR1 Research Reactor Fuel
A. Leenaers and S. Van
den Berghe
Nuclear Materials Science Institute
SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium.
ABSTRACT
The BR1
research reactor at SCK.CEN, Mol (Belgium) has a
graphite core matrix loaded with fuel rods consisting of
a natural uranium slug in an aluminum cladding.
Fabrication reports show the application of a so-called
AlSi bonding layer and an U(Al,Si)3
anti-diffusion layer on the natural uranium fuel slug to
limit the interaction between the uranium fuel and
aluminum cladding. The BR1 reactor is in operation since
1956 and still contains its original fuel rods. After
more than 50 years irradiation at low temperature, the
integrity of some of the fuel rods is investigated. The
microstructure of the fuel, bonding and anti-diffusion
layer and cladding is analyzed using optical microscopy
(OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron
microprobe analysis (EPMA).
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Contact: Dr. Jordi Roglans-Ribas
Technical Director, RERTR Department
Nuclear Engineering Division – 362
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439
Fax: +1 630-252-5161
The 2016 International RERTR Meeting (RERTR-2016) will take place in Belgium.
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The 2015 International RERTR Meeting (RERTR-2015) took place in Seoul, Korea on Oct. 11-14, 2015.
For more information visit RERTR-2015.
2007 International RERTR Meeting
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