NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL ELEMENT Russian patent published in 1999 - IPC

FIELD: nuclear power engineering. SUBSTANCE: fuel element has sealed can 1 with plugs 2 and core 3 placed in packing box 4 with spacing ribs which is inserted in can 1. Free space is uniformly distributed over fuel element to compensate for radiation swelling at high degree of fuel burn-out. Clearance between packing box 4 and can 1 is filled with impregnating alloy 5. Core 3 is, essentially, set of porous briquettes (volumetric portion of pores is 5 to 30 volume percent) compressed of particles (granules) containing fissionable isotopes of uranium, plutonium, or thorium, and particles (granules) of matrix (heat- conducting phase). Core may also include burn-out neutron absorbers and other known materials including those based on gun uranium, plutonium, or power plutonium and dopes in various combinations and proportions. EFFECT: improved operating conditions of fuel elements. 19 cl, 5 dwg