Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Method for producing nuclear fuel products with a high loading of LEU and corresponding nuclear fuel product
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Application No.: US14352420Application Date: 2011-10-21
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Publication No.: US09972408B2Publication Date: 2018-05-15
- Inventor: Bertrand Stepnik , Michel Grasse , Gilles Bourdat , Christel Coullomb , Christophe Moyroud
- Applicant: Bertrand Stepnik , Michel Grasse , Gilles Bourdat , Christel Coullomb , Christophe Moyroud
- Applicant Address: FR Courbevoie
- Assignee: COMPAGNIE POUR L'ETUDE ET LA REALISATION DE COMBUSTIBLES ATOMIQUES
- Current Assignee: COMPAGNIE POUR L'ETUDE ET LA REALISATION DE COMBUSTIBLES ATOMIQUES
- Current Assignee Address: FR Courbevoie
- Agency: Davidson, Davidson & Kappel, LLC
- International Application: PCT/IB2011/002957 WO 20111021
- International Announcement: WO2013/057533 WO 20130425
- Main IPC: G21C21/02
- IPC: G21C21/02 ; G21C3/07 ; G21C3/02 ; B22F3/10 ; B22F9/04 ; B22F5/00 ; G21C3/60 ; G21G4/08

Abstract:
A method of producing a nuclear fuel product is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a core comprising aluminum and low-enriched uranium; and sealing said core in a cladding. The low-enriched uranium has a proportion of U235 below 20 wt %. The core includes more than 80 wt % of a mixture of UAl3 phase and UAl4 phase, and the mixture has a weight fraction of UAl3 phase higher than or equal to 50%, or the core includes more than 50 wt % of UAl2 phase. The core has a low-enriched uranium loading higher than 3.0 gU/cm3. The core includes less than 10 wt % in total of one or several material(s) taken from the list consisting of aluminum phase and aluminum compounds other than UAl2 phase, than UAl3 phase, and than UAl4 phase. A corresponding nuclear fuel product is also provided.
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