Westinghouse Electric Company LLC

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Robert L Oelrich

Edward Jean Lahoda

Peng Xu

Radu O Pomirleanu

Lu Cai

Sumit Ray

Michael J Hone

Hemant H Shah

Frank A Boylan

Ho Q Lam

Jonathan Wright

Raymond E Schneider

Mitchell E Nissley

Zeses E Karoutas

Kumar Sridharan

Greg Johnson

Benjamin R Maier

Zeses Karoutas

Fausto Franceschini

Hwasung Yeom

Hemant Shah

Benjamin Maier

Javier Romero

A control rod for a nuclear fuel assembly is described herein that includes a neutron absorbing material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. that does not form a eutectic with a melting point less than 1500° C., and may further include a cladding material having a melting point greater than 1500° C. The cladding material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, tungsten, and molybdenum. The absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of GdO, Ir, BC, Re, and Hf. The metal cladding or the absorbing material may be coated with an anti-oxidation coating of Cr with or without a Nb intermediate layer.

Control rods for light water reactors

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

A control rod for a nuclear fuel assembly is described herein that includes a neutron absorbing material having a melting point greater than 1500&#xb0; C. that does not form a eutectic with a melting point less than 1500&#xb0; C., and may further include a cladding material having a melting point greater than 1500&#xb0; C. The cladding material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, zirconium, a zirconium alloy, tungsten, and molybdenum. The absorbing material is selected from the group consisting of GdO, Ir, BC, Re, and Hf. The metal cladding or the absorbing material may be coated with an anti-oxidation coating of Cr with or without a Nb intermediate layer.

Grain boundary enhanced UN and U3Si2 pellets with improved oxidation resistance

An apparatus and method for pressurizing SiC clad rods of a nuclear core component. A lower end of the rod is sealed with a lower end plug and an upper end of the rod is sealed between the cladding and an external piece of an upper end plug that has a through opening through which a separate internal piece of the upper end plug extends. The internal piece of the upper end plug is initially moveable within the through opening between an upper position that forms a gas tight seal and a lower position that forms a gaseous path through the through opening. The rod is placed in a pressure chamber pressurized to a desired pressure. When the pressure is reduced within the pressure chamber the internal pressure in the rod biases the internal piece of the upper end plug in the upper sealed position.

Method to pressurize sic fuel cladding tube before end plug sealing by pressurization pushing spring loaded end plug

A method is described for forming duplex layers including an interlayer and a corrosion resistant boundary layer on a nuclear fuel rod cladding tube for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor. The method includes forming, by thermal deposition or physical vapor deposition, on the exterior of a substrate, an inner interlayer with Mo, Ta, W or Nb or other particles, and forming, by thermal deposition or physical vapor deposition, on the interlayer, an outer corrosion resistant layer with particles selected from the group consisting of Cr, a Cr alloy, and combinations thereof. The interlayer prevents eutectic formation between the corrosion resistant layer and the substrate.

Duplex accident tolerant coating for nuclear fuel rods

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, SC, United States of America

Robert L Oelrich