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LLNL, Ampera partner to develop thorium-based TRISO fuel
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has formed a strategic partnership with Ampera to develop the company’s nuclear fuel concept through a project named THUNDER, for Thorium Unimodal Droplet Ejection for Reactors.
The focus of THUNDER is fabricating TRISO made with kernels of thorium rather than the usual uranium. LLNL and Ampera will evaluate and optimize liquid metal–jetting technology to produce highly uniform, spherical kernels of thorium-232 for later processing into TRISO fuel.
A. B. Johnson, Jr., W. F. Vogelsang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 22 | Number 1 | April 1974 | Pages 115-119
Technical Paper | Fusion Reactor Materials / Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT74-A16280
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Corrosion which is tolerable from the standpoint of system mechanical integrity may cause substantial problems if the corrosion product is released and deposited at locations where it interferes with heat transfer or coolant flow. Furthermore, neutrons from the fusion reaction activate the corrosion product, causing radiation fields in maintenance areas near piping and components where the activated material is deposited. Preliminary estimates suggest that formidable problems may occur in a lithium-cooled stainless-steel primary circuit due to corrosion product deposition. If the estimated order of magnitude is confirmed in future studies, new concepts in corrosion control or corrosion product removal would need to be developed for lithium-cooled stainless-steel Controlled Thermonuclear Reactor (CTR) systems. Other fusion reactor system concepts and materials appear to offer alternatives which tend to minimize corrosion product transport.