A method of producing a nuclear fuel product includes the steps of providing a core comprising aluminium and low-enriched uranium; and sealing said core in a cladding. The low-enriched uranium has a proportion of U235 below 20 wt %. The step of providing the core including melting low-enriched uranium and aluminium in a furnace to form a melt of uranium-aluminium alloy, producing a powder from the melt of uranium-aluminium alloy, and cold-spraying the powder on a surface of the cladding.

A nuclear fuel includes uranium(IV) oxide (UO.sub.2) and manganese (Mn) as a dopant. The Mn dopant may be present in the fuel in an amount up to the solubility limit for Mn under a given set of conditions, for example, about 0.01 wt % to about 1 wt %. The nuclear fuel is substantially free of aluminum (Al). The nuclear fuel exhibits enhanced grain size development during sintering temperatures as low at 1400 K due to an increase in uranium sub-lattice vacancies induced by dissolution of the Mn dopant at interstitial defect sites. The Mn-doped nuclear fuel exhibits improved grain sizes at lower temperatures compared to Cr-, Al-, and undoped UO.sub.2, and therefore desirably exhibits lower fission gas release and higher plasticity, reducing the chances of fuel rod failure.

A nuclear fuel includes uranium(IV) oxide (UO.sub.2) and manganese (Mn) as a dopant. The Mn dopant may be present in the fuel in an amount up to the solubility limit for Mn under a given set of conditions, for example, about 0.01 wt % to about 1 wt %. The nuclear fuel is substantially free of aluminum (Al). The nuclear fuel exhibits enhanced grain size development during sintering temperatures as low at 1400 K due to an increase in uranium sub-lattice vacancies induced by dissolution of the Mn dopant at interstitial defect sites. The Mn-doped nuclear fuel exhibits improved grain sizes at lower temperatures compared to Cr-, Al-, and undoped UO.sub.2, and therefore desirably exhibits lower fission gas release and higher plasticity, reducing the chances of fuel rod failure.

Additive manufacturing methods use a surrogate slurry to iteratively develop an additive manufacturing protocol and then substitutes a final slurry composition to then additively manufacture a final component using the developed additive manufacturing protocol. In the nuclear reactor component context, the final slurry composition is a nuclear fuel slurry having a composition: 30-45 vol. % monomer resin, 30-70 vol. % plurality of particles of uranium-containing material, >0-7 vol. % dispersant, photoactivated dye, photoabsorber, photoinitiator, and 0-18 vol. % (as a balance) diluent. The surrogate slurry has a similar composition, but a plurality of surrogate particles selected to represent a uranium-containing material are substituted for the particles of uranium-containing material. The method provides a means for in-situ monitoring of characteristics of the final component during manufacture as well as in-situ volumetric inspection. Compositions of surrogate slurries and nuclear fuel slurries are also disclosed.

A Thorium fuel rod assembly is disclosed that includes first and second support elements and a number of Thorium fuel rods positioned between support elements. Each of the Thorium fuel rod includes an outer fuel element containing a solid Thorium an inner core element containing Beryllium that is positioned within an interior cavity defined by the outer fuel element. In an exemplary disclosure, the inner core element also defines an inner cavity such that a beam of high energy particles may be directed into the inner cavity of the inner core element to impinge upon a Beryllium nucleus within the inner core element to produce a (p, n) reaction resulting in the emission of a neutron, where the emitted neutron may interact with a Thorium nucleus in the outer fuel element to cause the Thorium nucleus to fission.

A Thorium fuel rod assembly is disclosed that includes first and second support elements and a number of Thorium fuel rods positioned between support elements. Each of the Thorium fuel rod includes an outer fuel element containing a solid Thorium an inner core element containing Beryllium that is positioned within an interior cavity defined by the outer fuel element. In an exemplary disclosure, the inner core element also defines an inner cavity such that a beam of high energy particles may be directed into the inner cavity of the inner core element to impinge upon a Beryllium nucleus within the inner core element to produce a (p, n) reaction resulting in the emission of a neutron, where the emitted neutron may interact with a Thorium nucleus in the outer fuel element to cause the Thorium nucleus to fission.

The present invention relates to nuclear fuel compositions including uranium dioxide with integral fuel burnable absorber, and triuranium disilicide and a composite of uranium mononitride and triuranium disilicide with or without integral fuel burnable absorber, and methods of sintering these compositions. The sintering is conducted using SPS/FAST apparatus and techniques. The sintering time and temperature is reduced using SPS/FAST as compared to conventional sintering methods for nuclear fuel compositions. The nuclear fuel compositions of the present invention are particularly useful in light water reactors.

The present invention relates to nuclear fuel compositions including uranium dioxide with integral fuel burnable absorber, and triuranium disilicide and a composite of uranium mononitride and triuranium disilicide with or without integral fuel burnable absorber, and methods of sintering these compositions. The sintering is conducted using SPS/FAST apparatus and techniques. The sintering time and temperature is reduced using SPS/FAST as compared to conventional sintering methods for nuclear fuel compositions. The nuclear fuel compositions of the present invention are particularly useful in light water reactors.

An electrochemically modulated molten salt reactor (EMMSR) that contains a vessel and a power source. The vessel houses a fuel salt, at least a portion of a neutron moderator, and at least a portion of an insulator. The fuel salt includes enough dissolved fissile isotopes to cause continued self-sustaining fission reactions during the operation of the EMMSR. The neutron moderator is configured to slow down fast neutrons produced by the dissolved fissile isotopes. The insulator is configured to electrically isolate the neutron moderator from the vessel. The power source has a positive potential and a negative potential. The positive potential is received by the neutron moderator and the negative potential is received by the vessel.

An electrochemically modulated molten salt reactor (EMMSR) that contains a vessel and a power source. The vessel houses a fuel salt, at least a portion of a neutron moderator, and at least a portion of an insulator. The fuel salt includes enough dissolved fissile isotopes to cause continued self-sustaining fission reactions during the operation of the EMMSR. The neutron moderator is configured to slow down fast neutrons produced by the dissolved fissile isotopes. The insulator is configured to electrically isolate the neutron moderator from the vessel. The power source has a positive potential and a negative potential. The positive potential is received by the neutron moderator and the negative potential is received by the vessel.