Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Westinghouse Electric Sweden Ab

Jonathan Wright

Edward Jean Lahoda

Peng Xu

Sture Helmersson

Mats Dahlbäck

Lu Cai

Sumit Ray

Magnus Limbäck

Robert L Oelrich

Hemant H Shah

Frank A Boylan

Fausto Franceschini

Nils Magnus Limback

Hemant Shah

Antoine Claisse

Javier Romero

A method of forming a water resistant boundary on a fissile material for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor is described. The method comprises mixing a powdered fissile material selected from the group consisting of UN and USiwith an additive selected from oxidation resistant materials having a melting or softening point lower than the sintering temperature of the fissile material, pressing the mixed fissile and additive materials into a pellet, sintering the pellet to a temperature greater than the melting point of the additive. Alternatively, if the melting point of the oxidation resistant particles is greater than the sintering temperature of UN or USi, then the oxidation resistant particles can have a particle size distribution less than that of the UN or USi.

Grain boundary enhanced UN and USipellets with improved oxidation resistance

Grain boundary enhanced UN and U3Si2 pellets with improved oxidation resistance

A method of operating a nuclear reactor is disclosed. The reactor () encloses a core having a plurality of fuel rods (). Each fuel rod () includes a cladding and fuel pellets of a nuclear fuel. The fuel pellets are arranged in an inner space of the cladding leaving a free volume comprising an upper plenum, a lower plenum and a pellet-cladding gap. The reactor is operated at a normal power and a normal inlet sub-cooling during a normal state. The reactor is monitored for detecting a defect on the cladding of any of the fuel rods. The operation of the reactor is changed to a particular state after detecting such a defect. The particular state permits an increase of the free volume in the defect fuel rod. The reactor is operated at the particular state during a limited time period, after which the reactor is operated at the normal state.

Method for operating a reactor of a nuclear plant

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Vasteras, Sweden

Jonathan Wright