Fuels for the United States DOE Deep Burn programme

Document in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: Recent irradiation testing in the United States has demonstrated excellent performance for tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) coated uranium oxide/uranium carbide fuel kernels designed for use in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. These same TRISO coatings can also be applied to fuel kernels containing transuranic (TRU) elements from used nuclear fuel. This TRU-TRISO fuel is capable of going to high burn-up to dramatically reduce the total inventory of transuranics in the spent fuel. The United States Department of Energy Deep Burn Project was initiated at the end of 2008 to establish the fundamental understanding and fabrication capability demonstrated by high burn-up TRU-TRISO fuel. We will report on progress towards development of an internal gelation process for the production of the TRU kernels followed by fluidized bed chemical vapour deposition of the TRISO coatings. Additionally, modelling and surrogate kernel fabrication technology demonstration for internally gettered fuels, using SiC Nano-particles, will be presented. Current work in 2009 and 2010 involves the use of surrogate materials in place of the transuranic elements. The paper will also discuss the status and plans for glove box operations slated to commence at the end of 2010 to allow for the introduction of the transuranics, with the goal of fabricating the first of the TRU-TRISO fuel by the end of 2011. Work was sponsored by the United States Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. (authors)