Postirradiation examination of high-U-loaded, low-enriched U3O8, UAl2, and U3Si test fuel plates

The scope of this work is to present an evaluation of the postirradiation examination of the second set of high-U-loaded, low-enriched U3O8, UAl2 and U3Si miniature plates manufactured by the Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA) of Argentina, and irradiated and examined, within the framework of the Reduced Enrichment Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. This paper includes fabrication details of the plates, their irradiation history and the results of postirradiation examination which are compared to those of the previous test and to present results from other laboratories participating in the REM Program. Postirradiation examination of these plates showed satisfactory performance for the oxides, aluminides and silicides (except for the highest-loaded U3Si plate) with the only indication of detrimental behavior being the slight bowing of some plates at about 80% burnup. (author)