A customizable thin plate fuel form and reactor core therefor are disclosed. The thin plate fuel will comprise a fuel material embedded within a matrix material, with the entire unit having a coating. The thin plate fuel may be flat or curved and will have flow channels formed within at least the top surface of the fuel plate. The structure of the thin plate fuel will make it easier for coating with Tungsten or any other suitable material that will help contain any byproducts, prevent reactions with the working fluid, and potentially provide structural support to the thin plate fuel.

Plurality of layers form a nuclear fission reactor structure, each layer having an inner segment body, an intermediate segment body, and an outer segment body (each segment body separated by an interface). The layers include a plurality of cladding arms having involute curve shapes that spirally radiate outward from a radially inner end to a radially outer end. Chambers in the involute curve shaped cladding arm contain fuel compositions (and/or other materials such as moderators and poisons). The design of the involute curve shaped cladding arms and the composition of the materials conform to neutronic and thermal management requirements for the nuclear fission reactor and are of sufficiently common design and/or have sufficiently few variations as to reduce manufacturing complexity and manufacturing variability.

Plurality of layers form a nuclear fission reactor structure, each layer having an inner segment body, an intermediate segment body, and an outer segment body (each segment body separated by an interface). The layers include a plurality of cladding arms having involute curve shapes that spirally radiate outward from a radially inner end to a radially outer end. Chambers in the involute curve shaped cladding arm contain fuel compositions (and/or other materials such as moderators and poisons). The design of the involute curve shaped cladding arms and the composition of the materials conform to neutronic and thermal management requirements for the nuclear fission reactor and are of sufficiently common design and/or have sufficiently few variations as to reduce manufacturing complexity and manufacturing variability.

A method for manufacturing a nuclear fuel element and a nuclear fuel element includes obtaining a core, the coating of the core with an anti-diffusion layer so as to obtain a coated core, the insertion of the coated core into a cladding with interposition, between the coated core and the cladding, of one or more intermediate layer(s), and the pressing of the multilayer assembly. Each intermediate layer is being made of a ductile metal alloy and/or having a conventional yield strength which differs by no more than 30% from that of the material of the cladding, an elongation at break which differs by no more than 30% from that of the material of the cladding and/or a distributed relative elongation which differs by no more than 30% from that of the material of the cladding.

Plurality of layers form a nuclear fission reactor structure, each layer having an inner segment body, an intermediate segment body, and an outer segment body (each segment body separated by an interface). The layers include a plurality of cladding arms having involute curve shapes that spirally radiate outward from a radially inner end to a radially outer end. Chambers in the involute curve shaped cladding arms contain fuel compositions (and/or other materials such as moderators and poisons). The design of the involute curve shaped cladding arms and the composition of the materials conform to neutronic and thermal management requirements for the nuclear fission reactor and are of sufficiently common design and/or have sufficiently few variations as to reduce manufacturing complexity and manufacturing variability.

Plurality of layers form a nuclear fission reactor structure, each layer having an inner segment body, an intermediate segment body, and an outer segment body (each segment body separated by an interface). The layers include a plurality of cladding arms having involute curve shapes that spirally radiate outward from a radially inner end to a radially outer end. Chambers in the involute curve shaped cladding arms contain fuel compositions (and/or other materials such as moderators and poisons). The design of the involute curve shaped cladding arms and the composition of the materials conform to neutronic and thermal management requirements for the nuclear fission reactor and are of sufficiently common design and/or have sufficiently few variations as to reduce manufacturing complexity and manufacturing variability.

A modular, nuclear waste conversion reactor that continuously produces usable energy while converting U-238 and/or other fertile waste materials to fissionable nuclides. The reactor has a highly uniform, self-controlled, core (2) with a decades-long life and does not require reactivity control mechanisms within the boundary of the active core during operation to retain adequate safety. The exemplary embodiment employs high-temperature helium coolant, a dual-segment (22) initial annular critical core, carbide fuel, a fission product gas collection system, ceramic cladding and structural internals to create a modular reactor design that economically produces energy over multiple generations of reactor cores with only minimum addition of fertile material from one generation to the next.

A method is disclosed. The method comprises depositing a thermally conductive layer onto at least a portion of at least one surface of a first nuclear fuel layer; depositing a thermally conductive layer onto at least a portion of at least one surface of a second nuclear fuel layer, wherein the second nuclear fuel layer is different from the first nuclear fuel layer; stacking the first nuclear fuel layer and the second nuclear fuel layer, wherein the thermally conductive layer of the first nuclear fuel layer abuts the thermally conductive layer of the second nuclear fuel layer; and bonding the thermally conductive layer of the first nuclear fuel layer to the thermally conductive layer of the second nuclear fuel layer to form a unitary nuclear fuel segment comprising the first nuclear fuel layer and the second nuclear fuel layer.

An object is to change reactor core thermal output. A nuclear reactor includes an annular fuel layer and a heat conductive layer stacked on the fuel layer and extending around a periphery of the fuel layer.

An object is to change reactor core thermal output. A nuclear reactor includes an annular fuel layer and a heat conductive layer stacked on the fuel layer and extending around a periphery of the fuel layer.