Status of Irradiation Tests of Dilute Uranium Alloys in NaK-Containing Stainless Steel Capsules

To extend experience with uranium metal fuels to the high exposures required for power reactor operation, the Savannah River Laboratory has conducted over several years a series of irradiation tests of small uranium specimens of various alloy compositions in NaK-containing stainless steel capsules. These tests were designed specifically to establish the limits on exposure that could be reached during irradiation of the alloys at various temperatures without swelling and to determine the metallurgical factors that promoted the stability of the alloys. This paper discusses those test results