Book Description

Two irradiation test vehicles, designated RERTR-1 and RERTR-2, were inserted into the Advanced Test Reactor in Idaho in August 1997. These tests were designed to obtain irradiation performance information on a variety of potential new, high-density uranium alloy dispersion fuels, including U-10Mo, U-8Mo, U-6Mo, U-4Mo, U-9Nb-3Zr, U-6Nb-4Zr, U-5Nb-3Zr, U-6Mo-1Pt, U-6Mo-0.6Ru and U-10Mo-0.05Sn; the intermetallic compounds U2Mo and U3Si2 were also included in the fuel test matrix. These fuels are included in the experiments as ''microplates'' (76 mm x 22 mm x 1.3 mm outer dimensions) with a nominal fuel volume loading of 25% and irradiated at relatively low temperature ((approximately) 100 C). RERTR-1 and RERTR-2 were discharged from the reactor in November 1997 and July 1998, respectively, at calculated peak fuel burnups of 45 and 71 at.%-U235. Both experiments are currently under examination at the Alpha Gamma Hot Cell Facility at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. This paper presents the postirradiation examination results available to date from these experiments.