A UO₂—Liquid Metal Slurry Reactor for Economic Power

An application of a UO₂—liquid metal slurry reactor to a stationary power station is described. The fuel, consisting of a UO₂ suspension in liquid bismuth, is pumped through a moderator matrix and an external heat exchanger. Low initial enrichment, long fuel life, and low fuel fabrication costs, combined with a low-pressure reactor, indicate a competitive electrical generation cost. The use of natural uranium feed in one of the modes of operation of this reactor system is shown to be possible. Experiments on the dispersion of UO₂ in bismuth are reported.