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Argonne updates: Fuel research and materials lab
Over the past two weeks, Argonne National Laboratory has announced numerous significant advancements being made by its staff to push forward nuclear fuels and materials research. Those announcements include the opening of the new Activated Materials Lab, the development of a new measurement technique, and the application of new artificial intelligence tools.
C. E. Dickerman, L. E. Robinson, B. Blumenthal, R. Stewart
Nuclear Technology | Volume 3 | Number 1 | January 1967 | Pages 9-17
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT67-A27819
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Sodium-bonded Th-20wt%U fast-reactor-type fuel elements have been studied in transient meltdown experiments ranging up to complete sample meltdown, conducted in the TREAT reactor. The high melting thorium matrix supported the fuel during transient heating at temperatures significantly beyond the solidus. Because the fuel was still relatively intact at the temperatures of cladding failure, internal pressure was not effective in ejecting fuel upon failure. The dominant mechanism of fuel movement was gravity.