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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. L. Pitner
Nuclear Technology | Volume 30 | Number 1 | July 1976 | Pages 77-85
Technical Paper | Material | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31626
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Eighteen boron carbide specimens were irradiated for 355 effective full-power days in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II to maximum burnups of 82 x 1020 capture /cm3. Baseline specimens were patterned after Fast Flux Test Facility reference boron carbide, and material variables of 10B enrichment, pellet density, grain size, and stoichiometry were investigated in the test. Irradiation temperatures ranged from 1175 to 1570°F (635 to 855°C). Each specimen was individually instrumented to measure temperature and helium release continuously during irradiation.Postirradiation examination provided information on pellet integrity, swelling, tritium retention, and compatibility with stainless-steel containment components.