Fabrication, Properties, and Irradiation Behavior of U/Pu Particle Fuel for Light Water Reactors

Advantages were offered by particle fuel fabrication using an optimized precipitation method on heavy-metal nitrate solutions from reprocessing plants. This fabrication technology (the vibration compaction of the particles in cladding tubes above all demonstrating its capability of being automated and having relatively small amounts of scrap and wastes) might result in cost savings of more than 30%. Irradiation experiments have shown that the use of particle fuel results in advantages that can be anticipated as higher burnups and frequent load cyclings when compared with pellet fuel.