NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL ELEMENT Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear power engineering. SUBSTANCE: fuel element can be built using plutonium or highly enriched uranium in the form of alloys or dioxides without diluting them with natural uranium or thorium while ensuring desired loading and proportion of fissionable and breeding nuclides. Part of fuel element core with mass fraction of fissionable nuclides from 200 to 100% is enclosed in one or more differently shaped sealed ampoules made of structural material same as or different from that of fuel element can. Free space is provided in ampoules to compensate for nuclear fuel swelling and to accumulate gaseous fission fragments. Remaining part of fuel element core accommodates nuclear fuel with mass fraction of fissionable nuclides from 0.715 to 100% and that of breeding nuclides from 0.01 to 100%. EFFECT: improved service life and reliability including emergency situations. 6 cl, 4 dwg