FUEL SAFETY INVESTIGATIONS AT THE INSTITUTE OF TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS

Abstract

The Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU) is one of seven research institutes of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). JRC-ITU was founded in 1963 on the site of the German nuclear research centre Karlsruhe. Most of its scientific activities today are dedicated to safety and security of the nuclear fuel cycle, basic actinide research as well as education and training. New sample preparation methods and safety performance of plutonium and minor actinide containing fuels have been investigated. Samples were prepared at JRC-ITU, have been irradiated in research reactors and returned to ITU for post-irradiation examinations. The tested fuel samples were based on metal alloys (e.g. MASURCA, METAPHIX), mixed oxides (e.g. SUPERFACT, TRABANT, OMICO, SPHERE, MARINE), nitrides and carbides (e.g. NIMPHE, NILOC, GOCAR, POMPEI), but also included Inert Matrix Fuels (IMF) for transmutation targets (e.g. EFTTRA-T4, ECRIX, CAMIX, COCHIX, HELIOS, FUTURIX). These irradiation campaigns have provided significant knowledge on safety performance and properties of solid fuels for various reactor systems. Current activities concentrate on safety research on fuels for existing power reactors and fuels for transmutation. Ongoing irradiation campaigns, SPHERE and MARINE, focus on safety aspects of mixed oxide transmutation fuels with significant americium content for homogeneous and heterogeneous fast reactor minor actinide recycling concepts.JRC.E.4-Nuclear Fuel Safet