The method includes assessing operational characteristics of the fuel assembly, the assessing including determining if the fuel assembly is to be placed in a controlled location in the reactor core, a controlled location being positioned adjacent to a control blade that is to be utilized, and configuring the sidewalls of the outer channel by making at least a first select sidewall of the outer channel a reinforced sidewall, the remaining sidewalls of the outer channel, other than the at least a first select sidewall, being non-reinforced sidewalls. The entirety of the reinforced sidewall as a whole is at least one of thicker and made from a material that is more resistant to radiation-induced deformation as compared to an entirety of the non-reinforced sidewalls.

This invention relates to a composition and method for manufacturing a large-grained uranium oxide nuclear fuel pellet containing an additive. The nuclear fuel pellet is configured such that a uranium oxide powder and an additive powder composed of an Mg compound and a Si compound or Ca compound and a Al compound are mixed together, thus increasing a grain size to thus suppress the release of fission products, thereby increasing the stability of nuclear fuel, preventing cladding tubes from breaking, and contributing to the stable operation of nuclear power plants, ultimately increasing the overall stability of nuclear power plants including nuclear fuel.

Proposed is a nuclear fuel pellet manufactured with UO.sub.2 powder and being in a cylindrical shape, the nuclear fuel pellet including: a dish (10) provided in a shape of a spherical groove having a predetermined curvature and a diameter of 4.8 to 5.2 mm at a center of each of top and bottom surfaces of the nuclear fuel pellet; a shoulder (20) provided in an annular plane along a rim of the dish (10); a first chamfer (310) provided along a rim of the shoulder (20) while being adjacent to the shoulder (20); and a second chamfer (320) provided along a rim of the first chamfer (310), wherein a width (SW) of the shoulder (20) is 0.4565 mm to 0.6565 mm, an angle between the first chamfer (310) and a horizontal plane is 2.0°, and an angle between the second chamfer (320) and the horizontal plane is 18.0°.

A nuclear fuel pellet for a nuclear reactor is disclosed. The pellet comprises a metallic matrix and ceramic fuel particles of a fissile material dispersed in the metallic matrix. The metallic matrix is an alloy consisting of the principle elements U, Zr, Nb and Ti, and of possible rest elements. The concentration of each of the principle elements in the metallic matrix is at the most 50 molar-%.

Illustrative embodiments provide a nuclear fission reactor, that includes a reactor vessel, a nuclear fission fuel element capable of generating a gaseous fission product, a valve body defining a plenum for receiving the gaseous fission product, and a valve in operative communication with the plenum for controllably venting the gaseous fission product from the plenum.

A method of manufacturing nuclear fuel elements may include: forming a base portion of the fuel element by depositing a powdered matrix material including a mixture of a graphite material and a fibrous material; depositing particles on the base portion in a predetermined pattern to form a first particle layer, by controlling the position of each particle in the first particle layer; depositing the matrix material on the first particle layer to form a first matrix layer; depositing particles on the first matrix layer in a predetermined pattern to form a second particle layer by controlling positions of each particle in the second particle layer; depositing the matrix material on the second particle layer to form a second matrix layer; and forming a cap portion of the fuel pebble by depositing the matrix material. The particles in the first particle layer and the second particle layer include nuclear fuel particles.

A method of making a nuclear fuel pellet for a nuclear power reactor. The method includes providing a nuclear fuel material in powder form, pressing the powder such that a so-called green pellet is obtained, providing a liquid that comprises an additive which is to be added to the green pellet, contacting the green pellet with the liquid such that the liquid, with the additive, penetrates into the pellet, and sintering the so treated green pellet, wherein the additive is such that larger grains in the nuclear fuel material are obtained with the additive.

The fuel element of the present invention includes a cladding tube and a metal fuel contained in the cladding tube, in which a gas plenum region is formed above the metal fuel and inside the cladding tube and has a small-diameter portion in the gas plenum region. Further, the fuel assembly of the present invention includes the fuel element of the present invention and a wrapper tube surrounding the fuel element, in which a coolant material passage is formed between the fuel element and the fuel element. Further, the core of the present invention includes an inner core fuel region loaded with the fuel assembly according to the present invention, and an outer core fuel region loaded with the fuel assembly of the present invention.

A nuclear fuel, the nuclear fuel comprising uranium aluminide grains, wherein the uranium aluminide grain properties are selected for good isotope extraction after irradiation and chemical digestion.

The disclosure relates to a high temperature gas-cooled reactor core including a plurality of elongate fuel elements arranged in the form of a multi-lobed prism. Each prismatic fuel element includes an elongate prismatic body and a plurality of elongate fuel channels located within the prismatic body, wherein the cross-sectional area of each prismatic fuel element in a plane parallel to the bases of the prismatic fuel element is no more than 800 cm.sup.2 and wherein a ratio of the height of the prismatic body to its greatest width is greater than or equal to 3.0.