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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.
J. C. McGuire, W. F. Brehm
Nuclear Technology | Volume 48 | Number 2 | April 1980 | Pages 101-109
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT80-A32456
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Prototype radionuclide traps were tested in sodium loops containing irradiated sources (Source Term Control Loops 2 and 3) at 604 and 538°C (1120 and 1000°F). Prototype traps were 70 to 87% efficient in removing 54Mn from the sodium, and also effective for 60Co. Extensive screening tests showed that pure nickel is the most effective getter material, working best above 450°C (842°F) with increasing effectiveness at higher temperatures. Of the several possible trap sites considered for reactor use, a location within the top of the fuel assembly was chosen as the most convenient and effective. This position would facilitate trap handling by making trap insertion and removal an implicit part of the normal fuel handling procedure. A cost/benefit analysis shows that the radionuclide trap will be economically attractive. One radionuclide trap has completed a year of testing in an Experimental Breeder Reactor II driver fuel subassembly with good results, and a second trap is being tested in the same reactor.