Thorium Power, Inc.

Valentin Fedorovich Kuznetsov

Sergey Mikhailovich Bashkirtsev

Valery Vladimirovich Kevrolev

Alexey Glebovich Morozov

Michael H Montgomery

Alexei Glebovich Morozov

Nuclear fuel assemblies include fuel elements that are sintered or cast into billets and co-extruded into a spiral, multi-lobed shape. The fuel kernel may be a metal alloy of metal fuel material and a metal-non-fuel material, or ceramic fuel in a metal non-fuel matrix. The fuel elements may use more highly enriched fissile material while maintaining safe operating temperatures. Such fuel elements according to one or more embodiments may provide more power at a safer, lower temperature than possible with conventional uranium oxide fuel rods. The fuel assembly may also include a plurality of conventional UOfuel rods, which may help the fuel assembly to conform to the space requirements of conventional nuclear reactors.

Fuel assembly

Nuclear fuel assemblies include fuel elements that are sintered or cast into billets and co-extruded into a spiral, multi-lobed shape. The fuel kernel may be a metal alloy of metal fuel material and a metal-non-fuel material, or ceramic fuel in a metal non-fuel matrix. The fuel elements may use more highly enriched fissile material while maintaining safe operating temperatures. Such fuel elements according to one or more embodiments may provide more power at a safer, lower temperature than possible with conventional uranium oxide fuel rods. The fuel assembly may also include a plurality of conventional UO2 fuel rods, which may help the fuel assembly to conform to the space requirements of conventional nuclear reactors.

Method of manufacturing a nuclear fuel assembly

A method of manufacturing a fuel assembly for use in a core of a nuclear power reactor. The method includes manufacturing each of a plurality of elongated fuel elements by mixing powdered fuel material with powdered metal non-fuel material. The mixed powdered fuel material and metal non-fuel material is sintered to create a fuel core stock, the fuel core stock is surrounded with a cladding material, and the fuel core stock and cladding material are co-extruded to create the fuel element. The fuel element has a spirally twisted, multi-lobed profile that defines a plurality of spiral ribs. The multi-lobed profile includes lobe tips and intersections between adjacent lobes. The cladding is thicker at the tips than at the intersections. The plurality of elongated fuel elements are mounted to a frame of the fuel assembly. A moderator:fuel ratio in a region of the fuel elements is 2.5 or less.

A fuel assembly for use in a core of a nuclear power reactor. The fuel assembly can include a frame and a plurality of elongated, extruded fuel elements supported by the frame. The frame can include a lower nozzle that is shaped and configured to mount to an internal core structure of the nuclear power reactor. Each of the fuel elements can include a fuel kernel having fuel material disposed in a matrix of metal non-fuel material, the fuel material including fissile material, and a cladding surrounding the fuel kernel. The fuel assembly can have a moderator: fuel ratio in a region of the fuel elements of 2.4 or less.

A 17&#xd7;17 jacketless fuel assembly for a PWR-type light-water reactor uses thorium as the fuel. The fuel assembly has a square shape in the plan view, a seed region, a blanket region that encircles it, an upper nozzle, and a lower nozzle. The fuel elements of the seed region re arranged in the rows and columns of a square coordinate grid and have a four-lobed profile that forms spiral spacer ribs along the length of a fuel element. The blanket region contains a frame structure within which a bundle of fuel elements made from thorium with the addition of enriched uranium is positioned. The blanket region fuel elements are arranged in the two or three rows and columns of a square coordinate grid.

Light-water reactor fuel assembly (alternatives), a light-water reactor, and a fuel element of fuel assembly

Fuel elements are supported by fuel assemblies configured for use in land-based nuclear reactors such as the VVER-1000. The fuel elements include a kernel having a multi-lobed profile that forms spiral ribs that include fissionable material (e.g., uranium or plutonium), a central metal displacer extending along a longitudinal axis of the kernel, and a metal cladding (e.g., zirconium and/or other refractory metals) enclosing the kernel. The fuel element may be fabricated by joint extrusion of the displacer, kernel, and cladding through a die to metallurgically bond the kernel and cladding.

Nuclear reactor (alternatives), fuel assembly of seed-blanket subassemblies for nuclear reactor (alternatives), and fuel element for fuel assembly

The invention relates to light water reactor designs in which thorium is used as fuel and in particular to designs of jacketless fuel assemblies, which make up the cores of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) such as the VVER-1000. Nuclear reactor cores containing seed and blanket subassemblies that make up the fuel assemblies are used to burn thorium fuel together with conventional reactor fuel that includes nonproliferative enriched uranium, as well as weapons-grade and reactor-grade plutonium. In the first alternative, the reactor core is fully 'nonproliferative,' since neither the reactor fuel nor the wastes generated can be used to produce nuclear weapons. In the second version of the invention, the reactor core is used to burn large amounts of weapons-grade plutonium together with thorium and provides a suitable means to destroy stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium and convert the energy released to electric power. The cores in both embodiments of the invention are made up of a set of seed-blanket assemblies, which have central seed areas surrounded by annular blanket areas. The seed areas contain uranium or plutonium fuel rods, while the blanket areas contain thorium fuel rods. The volume ratio of moderator to fuel and the relative sizes of the seed area and the blanket area have been optimized so that neither embodiment of the invention generates wastes that can be used to produced nuclear weapons. A new refueling system is also used for the first embodiment of the invention to maximize recycling of the seed fuel; the system also ensures that the spent nuclear fuel cannot be used to produce nuclear weapons.

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Moscow, Russia

Valentin Fedorovich Kuznetsov