General Electric Company

Trevor Cartwright Rowland

John Robert Thompson

Richard A Proebstle

Thoma Mees Snyder

Edward Rosicky

A method of conditioning the fuel of a nuclear reactor core to minimize failure of the fuel cladding comprising increasing the fuel rod power to a desired maximum power level at a rate below a critical rate which would cause cladding damage. Such conditioning allows subsequent freedom of power changes below and up to said maximum power level with minimized danger of cladding damage.

Conditioning of nuclear reactor fuel

A nuclear fuel element for use in the core of a nuclear reactor is disclosed. A heat conducting, fission product retaining metal liner of a refractory metal is incorporated in the fuel element between the cladding and the nuclear fuel to inhibit mechanical interaction between the nuclear fuel and the cladding, to isolate fission products and nuclear fuel impurities from contacting the cladding and to improve the axial thermal peaking gradient along the length of the fuel rod. The metal liner can be in the form of a tube or hollow cylindrical column, a foil of single or multiple layers in the shape of a hollow cylindrical column, or a coating on the internal surface of the cladding. Preferred refractory metal materials are molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, niobium and alloys of the foregoing metals.

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Halden, Norway

Trevor Cartwright Rowland