Method of forming a unitary nuclear fuel segment by heat bonding a thermally conductive layer deposited on a first fuel layer to a thermally conductive layer deposited on a second fuel layer

Abstract

A method is disclosed. The method comprises depositing a thermally conductive layer onto at least a portion of at least one surface of a first nuclear fuel layer; depositing a thermally conductive layer onto at least a portion of at least one surface of a second nuclear fuel layer, wherein the second nuclear fuel layer is different from the first nuclear fuel layer; stacking the first nuclear fuel layer and the second nuclear fuel layer, wherein the thermally conductive layer of the first nuclear fuel layer abuts the thermally conductive layer of the second nuclear fuel layer; and bonding the thermally conductive layer of the first nuclear fuel layer to the thermally conductive layer of the second nuclear fuel layer to form a unitary nuclear fuel segment comprising the first nuclear fuel layer and the second nuclear fuel layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.