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US 2010/0303193 A1Published application
Particulate metal fuels used in power generation, recycling systems, and small modular reactors
AssigneeAdvanced Reactor Concepts LLC
InventorLeon C. Walters
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A metal particulate fuel system is described. The metal fuel system may include particulate metal fuel for use in nuclear reactors. The particulate metal fuel may include a plurality of particles of at least one enriched alloy where the particles are compacted into a fuel column. The metal particulate fuel system may also include a cladding and/or a gas-filled plenum.
Claims21
A metal fuel system comprising:
- particulate metal fuel for use in nuclear reactors, comprising particles of at least one enriched alloy;
- a cladding;
- a gas-filled plenum;
- and
- wherein the particles are compacted into a fuel column.
2 more elements
A small modular reactor comprising:
- a reactor tank;
- a reactor core within the reactor tank, the reactor core comprising a fuel column of packed, particulate metal fuel using an inert gas as a heat transfer medium;
- and
- a pump for circulating liquid sodium through a heat exchanger.
1 more element
A method for recycling or refabricating metal fuel, the method comprising:
- providing a fuel column with a percentage burn up;
- extracting fission product waste product with pyrometallurgic recycling;
- adding a percentage of a replacement material approximately equal to the percentage burn up;
- creating a metal fuel alloy powder;
- and
- vibrocompacting the metal fuel allow powder into a replacement core.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.