Mixed-Carbide LMFBR Fuel in Advanced Alloy Claddings: The EC-Series Experiment; LA-10756 LIMITED ACCESS, UC-532T
Los Alamos, NM: Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1988. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Wraps. viii, 116 pages. Figures. Tables. References. Appendices. The principal objectives of the EC-Series experiment were to provide comparative irradiation data on advanced alloy claddings (D9-C1 and D21) relatives to 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel (316SS) and to increase the data base for mixed-carbide fuel pins for confirmation of the bond decision and design concept selection in support of a proposed partial core loading for the Fast Test Reactor (FTR). The scope of the experiment included tests of helium-bonded fuel pins operating at peal hot-spot temperature conditions, and operating at mid-plane of the fueled region in a 91-pin FTR assembly and sodium-bonded fuel pins operating at peak hot-spot temperature conditions. The cover has this statement: Applied Technology: Any further distribution by any holder of this document or data therein to third parties representing foreign interests, foreign governments, foreign companies, and foreign subsidiaries or foreign divisions of U.S. companies shall be approved by the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Reactor Systems, Development and Technology, U.S. Department of Energy. Further, foreign party release may require DOE approval pursuant to Federal Regulation 10 CFR Part 810 and/or may be subject to Section 127 of the Atomic Energy Act. Note: it is understood that based upon the passage of time, de-emphasis in the United States in Breeder Reactor technology, and the general advance of knowledge available in the private sector, that this limitation is no longer applicable. The liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) is a nuclear reactor that has been modified to increase the efficiency at which non-fissionable uranium-238 is converted to fissionable plutonium-239, which can be used as fuel in the production of nuclear power . The reactor uses "fast" rather than "slow" neutrons to strike a uranium-238 nucleus, resulting in the formation of plutonium-239. In a second modification, it uses a liquid metal, usually sodium, rather than neutron-absorbing water as a more efficient coolant. Since the reactor produces new fuel as it operates, it is called a breeder reactor. The main appeal of breeder reactors is that they provide an alternative way of obtaining fissionable materials. The supply of natural uranium in the earth's crust is fairly large, but it will not last forever. Plutonium-239 from breeder reactors might become the major fuel used in reactors built a few hundred or thousand years from now. However, the potential of LMFBRs has not as yet been realized. One serious problem involves the use of liquid sodium as coolant. Sodium is a highly corrosive metal and in an LMFBR it is converted into a radioactive form, sodium-24. Accidental release of the coolant from such a plant could, therefore, constitute a serious environmental hazard. In addition, plutonium itself is difficult to work with. It is one of the most toxic substances known to humans, and its release presents long-term environmental problems. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Mixed-Carbide, LMFBR, Advance Alloy Claddings, EC-Series Experiment, Fast Breeder, Irradiation Data, Fuel Pins, Fast Test Reactor, 316SS, Partial Core Loading, Helium-Bonded, Sodium-Bonded, Applied Technology
[Book #84104]
Price: $125.00