Reactor fuel pellets with thermally-conductive inserts, and related reactor fuel pellet arrangements

A fuel pellet for a reactor, the fuel pellet comprising:

• an insert comprising a thermally-conductive material, the insert configured as at least one solid structure extending within a fuel, each of the at least one solid structure of the insert being structured as:
• a planar structure comprising the thermally-conductive material and extending continuously across substantially a whole of at least one of a height and a width of the fuel pellet, or
• a nonplanar structure extending continuously across substantially the whole of the height of the fuel pellet, the nonplanar structure being defined by at least one wall formed of the thermally-conductive material, the fuel filling a region defined by the at least one wall,
• the fuel and the thermally-conductive material of the at least one solid structure of the insert providing mutually distinctive regions of the fuel pellet,
• wherein the insert is non-centrosymmetrically arranged within the fuel pellet, and
• the insert occupying less than about 10 volume percent of the fuel pellet.

A fuel pellet arrangement comprising a stack of fuel pellets, at least one of the fuel pellets comprising:

• a thermally-conductive insert within a fuel, the thermally-conductive insert and the fuel providing mutually distinctive regions of the at least one of the fuel pellets,
• the thermally-conductive insert configured as at least one solid structure defined by at least one wall of a thickness of less than about 0.5 mm, each of the at least one wall configured as either:
• a planar wall extending horizontally or vertically through the fuel, from a central axis of the at least one of the fuel pellets, along a radius of the at least one of the fuel pellets, to substantially a periphery of the fuel pellet;
• or
• a nonplanar wall horizontally surrounding a discrete segment of the fuel filling an interior region of the nonplanar wall at the central axis, the nonplanar wall being horizontally surrounded by at least one additional discrete segment of the fuel,
• the thermally-conductive insert occupying less than about 10 volume percent of the at least one of the fuel pellets.

A fuel pellet for a reactor, the fuel pellet comprising:

• an insert comprising a thermally-conductive material and configured as at least one solid structure extending within a fuel, the at least one solid structure extending continuously across substantially the whole of the height of the fuel pellet,
• the fuel and the thermally-conductive material providing mutually distinctive regions of the fuel pellet,
• the at least one solid structure being defined by at least one wall formed of the thermally-conductive material, the at least one wall providing a tubular portion of the insert wherein:
• a first discrete portion of the fuel fills the tubular portion of the insert in an interior region at a central axis and defined by the at least one wall;
• and
• a second discrete segment of the fuel horizontally surrounds the insert,
• the insert occupying less than about 10 volume percent of the fuel pellet.