journal article·2019-03Open access

Coated particle fuel: Historical perspectives and current progress

Paul A. Demkowicz, Bing Liu, John D. Hunn

Abstract

Abstract Coated particle fuel concepts date back some 60 years, and have evolved significantly from the relatively primitive pyrocarbon-coated kernels envisioned by the first pioneers. Improvements in particle design, coating layer properties, and kernel composition have produced the modern tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particle, capable of low statistical coating failure fractions and good fission product retention under extremely severe conditions, including temperatures of 1600 °C for hundreds of hours. The fuel constitutes one of the key enabling technologies for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, allowing coolant outlet temperatures approaching 1000 °C and contributing to enhanced reactor safety due to the hardiness of the particles. TRISO fuel development has taken place in a number of countries worldwide, and several fuel qualification programs are currently in progress. In this paper, we discuss the unique history of particle fuel development and some key technology advances, concluding with some of the latest progress in UO2 and UCO TRISO fuel qualification.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nuclear Materials and Properties · Nuclear reactor physics and engineering · Radioactive element chemistry and processing

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

References (100+)

Show source-provided references
1. Coated particle fuels for high-temperature reactors
2. 2010
3. The current status of fluoride salt cooled high temperature reactor (FHR) technology and its overlap with HIF target chamber concepts10.1016/j.nima.2013.05.094 ↗
4. Preconceptual design of a fluoride high temperature salt-cooled engineering demonstration reactor: motivation and overview10.1016/j.anucene.2016.11.021 ↗
5. Progress on matrix SiC processing and properties for fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel form10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.10.034 ↗
6. Fully ceramic microencapsulated fuel in prismatic high temperature gas-cooled reactors: analysis of reactor performance and safety characteristics10.1016/j.anucene.2017.12.021 ↗
7. Production of spherical UO2-UC2 for nuclear fuel applications using thermochemical principles10.1111/j.1151-2916.1982.tb10463.x ↗
8. Fabrication of uranium oxycarbide kernels and compacts for HTR fuel10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.10.033 ↗
9. P.J. Pappano, D.R. Brown, N.N. Linneeen, H.T. Kim, B.J. Blamer, Update on X-energy (USA) UCO TRISO-particle-based fuel element pebble fabrication efforts, Proceedings of the 9th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR-2018), 8-10 Oct. 2018, Warsaw, Poland.
10. Haas · 1980
11. Beatty · 1979
12. Recent developments of coatings for GCFR and HTGCR fuel particles and their performance10.1016/0022-3115(72)90181-X ↗
13. Increase in pyrolytic carbon optical anisotropy and density during processing of coated particle fuel due to heat treatment10.1016/j.jnucmat.2007.10.003 ↗
14. A novel approach to fabricating fuel compacts for the next generation nuclear plant (NGNP)10.1016/j.jnucmat.2008.07.032 ↗
15. Improvements in quality of as-manufactured fuels for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors10.1080/18811248.1997.9733668 ↗
16. Estimation of maximum coated particle fuel compact packing fraction10.1016/j.jnucmat.2006.10.017 ↗
17. Fuel for pebble-bed HTRs10.1016/0029-5493(84)90301-7 ↗
18. 2012
19. Coated particle fuel for high temperature gas cooled reactors10.5516/NET.2007.39.5.603 ↗
20. Current status and future development of coated fuel particles for high temperature gas-cooled reactors10.1016/j.pnucene.2010.10.003 ↗
21. TRISO-coated particle fuel performance
22. Major milestones of HTR development in Germany and still open research issues10.1016/j.anucene.2018.02.012 ↗
23. Testing of HTR UO2 TRISO fuels in AVR and in material test reactors10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.05.062 ↗
24. Long time experience with the development of HTR fuel elements in Germany10.1016/S0029-5493(02)00128-0 ↗
25. Spherical fuel elements for advanced HTR manufacture and qualification by irradiation testing10.1016/0022-3115(90)90341-J ↗
26. The fuel element of the HTR-Module, a prerequisite of an inherently safe rector10.1016/0029-5493(88)90168-9 ↗
27. High-temperature reactor fuel fission product release and distribution at 1600 to 1800°C10.13182/NT96-3-323 ↗
28. Fuel accident performance testing for small HTRs10.1016/0022-3115(90)90342-K ↗
29. The behavior of spherical HTR fuel elements under accident conditions10.1016/0022-3115(84)90006-0 ↗
30. The Dragon Project origins, achievements and legacies10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.12.024 ↗
31. Coated-particle fuel for the dragon reactor experiment
32. Evolution of HTGR coated particle fuel design10.1016/0360-5442(91)90085-Z ↗
33. Coated-particle fuels in high-temperature reactors: a summary of current applications
34. Ceramic coated particle nuclear fuels10.1016/0022-3115(64)90117-5 ↗
35. Development and utilization of pyrolytic-carbon-coated carbide fuel for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor10.13182/NSE64-A28933 ↗
36. Development of fueled graphite containing pyrolytic-carbon-coated carbide particles for nonpurged, gas-cooled reactor systems10.13182/NSE64-A28932 ↗
37. Jaye · Nucl. Eng. Des. · 1968 · 7 · 28310.1016/0029-5493(68)90062-9 ↗
38. Fuel element fabrication for the Dragon reactor experiment
39. Studies on the coating of fuel particles for the ‘Dragon’ reactor experiment10.1016/0022-3107(67)90079-2 ↗
40. Properties influencing high-temperature gas-cooled reactor coated fuel particle performance10.13182/NT77-A31894 ↗
41. The mechanical design of TRISO-coated particle fuels for the large HTGR10.13182/NT72-A31179 ↗
42. Turner · 1973
43. Peach Bottom Unit No. 1: a high performance helium cooled nuclear power plant10.1016/0306-4549(78)90017-8 ↗
44. 1997
45. Saurwein · 1982
46. Duplex carbon-coated fuel particles10.13182/NSE64-A28934 ↗
47. Fueled-graphite elements for the German pebble-bed reactor (AVR)
48. Nucl. Technol. · 1977 · 35
49. Silver release from coated particle fuel10.13182/NT35-483 ↗
50. The behavior of silicon carbide coatings in the HTR
51. van Rooyen · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2016 · 476 · 9310.1016/j.jnucmat.2016.04.010 ↗
52. Gerczak · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2015 · 456 · 28110.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.09.063 ↗
53. Coward · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2015 · 457 · 29810.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.11.116 ↗
54. O'Connell · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2014 · 445 · 2010.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.10.050 ↗
55. Ko · Comput. Mater. Sci. · 2016 · 121 · 24810.1016/j.commatsci.2016.04.027 ↗
56. Deng · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2015 · 467 · 33210.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.09.054 ↗
57. Rabone · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2015 · 458 · 5610.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.11.032 ↗
58. Montgomery · 1981
59. Brown · 1975
60. Silicon-carbide corrosion in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel particles10.13182/NT77-A31902 ↗
61. Fission product Pd-SiC interaction in irradiated coated-particle fuels10.13182/NT82-A26305 ↗
62. Homan · 1976
63. Stoichiometric effects on performance of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuels from the U-C-O system10.13182/NT35-428 ↗
64. McEachern · 2001
65. Lindemer · 1974
66. Amoeba behavior of UO2 coated particle fuel10.13182/NT77-A31900 ↗
67. SiC-fission product reactions in HTGR TRISO UC2 and UCxOy fission fuel: I, kinetics of reactions in a thermal gradient10.1111/j.1151-2916.1979.tb12741.x ↗
68. SiC-fission product reactions in HTGR TRISO UC2 and UCxOy fissile fuel: II, reactions under isothermal conditions10.1111/j.1151-2916.1979.tb12742.x ↗
69. Carbon monoxide formation in UO2 kerneled HTR fuel particles containing oxygen getters10.1016/0022-3115(86)90025-5 ↗
70. Coating microspheres with zirconium carbide10.1016/0022-3115(72)90115-8 ↗
71. Irradiation experiment on ZrC-coated fuel particles for high-temperature gas-cooled reactors10.13182/NT00-A3093 ↗
72. Microstructure and mechanical properties of heat-treated and neutron irradiated TRISO-ZrC coatings10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.04.026 ↗
73. K. Minato, T. Ogawa, Research and development of ZrC-coated particle fuel, Proceedings of GLOBAL 2003, 16-20 Nov. 2003, New Orleans, LA, USA.
74. Properties of zirconium carbide for nuclear fuel applications10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.05.037 ↗
75. Performance of coated UO2 particles gettered with ZrC10.1016/0022-3115(83)90344-6 ↗
76. Hunt · J. Nucl. Mater. · 2010 · 401 · 5510.1016/j.jnucmat.2010.03.018 ↗
77. Determining the minimum required uranium carbide content for HTGR UCO fuel kernels10.1016/j.anucene.2017.02.023 ↗
78. Fission-product release during postirradiation annealing of several types of coated fuel particles10.1016/0022-3115(84)90558-0 ↗
79. Scott · 1982
80. Key differences in the fabrication, irradiation and high temperature accident testing of US and German TRISO-coated particle fuel, and their implications on fuel performance10.1016/S0029-5493(03)00033-5 ↗
81. 2003
82. 1995
83. KüFA safety testing of HTR fuel pebbles irradiated in the High Flux Reactor in Petten10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.11.033 ↗
84. Freis · 2010
85. Schenk · 1994
86. Results of AVR fuel pebble irradiation at increased temperature and burn-up in the HFR Petten10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.02.017 ↗
87. Results of the HFR-EU1 fuel irradiation of INET and AVR pebbles in the HFR Petten10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.10.063 ↗
88. Computational analysis of modern HTGR fuel performance and fission product release during the HFR-EU1 irradiation experiment10.1016/j.nucengdes.2014.01.026 ↗
89. M. Phélip, European programme on HTR fuel technology, Paper B06, Proceedings of the 2nd International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2006), 22-24 Sep. 2004, Beijing, CHINA.
90. Fission-product behavior in irradiated TRISO-coated particles: results of the HFR-EU1bis experiment and their interpretation10.1016/j.jnucmat.2011.05.047 ↗
91. Modelling of the HFR-EU1BIS experiment and thermomechanical evaluation10.1016/j.nucengdes.2008.02.011 ↗
92. O. Seeger, M. Laurie, D. Freis, V.V. Rondinella, A. Xhonneux, H.-J. Allelein, Evaluation of fission product releases obtained from KüFA safety tests in light of the setup's accuracy, Proceedings of the 8th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2016), 6-10 Nov. 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
93. Accident testing of high-temperature reactor fuel elements from the HFR-EU1bis irradiation10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.05.026 ↗
94. Simulated accident testing of a fuel element from the HFR-EU1bis irradiation campaign10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.11.028 ↗
95. Maki · 2002
96. Leikind · 1993
97. The DOE Advanced Gas Reactor fuel development and qualification program10.1007/s11837-010-0140-5 ↗
98. The challenges associated with high burnup, high temperature and accelerated irradiation for TRISO-coated particle fuel10.1016/j.jnucmat.2007.05.019 ↗
99. Comparison of two irradiation testing results of HTR-10 fuel spheres10.1016/j.nucengdes.2011.09.047 ↗
100. Fuel irradiation of the first batches produced for the Chinese HTR-1010.1016/j.nucengdes.2005.11.001 ↗