Nuclear fuel elements

Purpose: Oxygen getters are disposed at the boundary between a blanket fuel and a reactor core fuel to thereby extend the fuel life time. Constitution: Blanket fuels composed of uranium dioxide pellets are filled in a fuel can while being put between reactor core fuels composed of mixed plutonium-uranium oxide pellets. Oxygen getters in the form of porous thin pellet or plate-like metal film are disposed at the boundary between the blanket fuel and the reactor core fuel. Further, the surface of the uranium dioxide pellets are coated with the oxygen getter material. This can suppress the amount of the resultant reaction compounds thereby reducing the reaction compound loads to the fuel can due. (Takahashi, M.)