Surface Modification of Fuel Cladding Materials with Integral Fuel Burnable Absorber Boron. (Annual Report, July 1, 2005-June 30, 2008)

Sridharan, K. ; Allen, T. ; Gudmundson, J. ; Maier, B.

Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee

关键词: Cladding;    Surface modification;    Boron;    Coatings;    Fuel cans;   

RP-ID  :  DE2008940909

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: National Technical Reports Library

【 摘 要 】

Integral fuel burnable absorbers (IFBA) are added to some rods in the fuel assembly to counteract excessive reactivity. These IFBA elements (usually boron or gadolinium) are presently incorporated in the UO(sub 2) pellets either by mixing in the pellets or as coatings on the pellet surface. In either case, the incorporation of ifba into the fuel has to be performed in a nuclear-regulated facility that is physically separated from the main plant. These operations tend to be costly and can add from 20 to 30% to the manufacturing cost of the fuel. The goal of this NEER research project was to develop an alternative approach that involves incorporation of IFBA element boron at the surface of the fuel cladding material.