Irradiation performance of metallic fuels

Abstract

Argonne National Laboratory has been working for the past five years to develop and demonstrate the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept. The concept involves a closed system for fast-reactor power generation and on-site fuel reprocessing, both designed specifically around the use of metallic fuel. The Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) has used metallic fuel for all of its 25-year life. In 1985, tests were begun to examine the irradiation performance of advanced-design metallic fuel systems based on U-Zr or U-Pu-Zr fuels. These tests have demonstrated the viable performance of these fuel systems to high burnup. The initial testing program will be described in this paper. 2 figs