Optimum configuration of an annular nuclear fuel element
| Autor: | G. Melese-d'Hospital |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 1970 |
| Předmět: |
Cladding (metalworking)
Nuclear and High Energy Physics Materials science Nuclear fuel Mechanical Engineering Mechanics Conductivity Thermal conductivity Nuclear Energy and Engineering Heat flux Heat transfer Fertile material Thermal Forensic engineering General Materials Science Physics::Chemical Physics Safety Risk Reliability and Quality Waste Management and Disposal Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics |
| Zdroj: | Nuclear Engineering and Design. 12:153-166 |
| ISSN: | 0029-5493 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/0029-5493(70)90004-x |
| Popis: | In all-ceramic fuel elements for high temperature gas-cooled reactors, an unfueled moderator spine is often surrounded by a fuel compact consisting of a dispersion of fuel and fertile material in a moderator matrix with a ceramic cladding. For given fuel and fertile loading in a fuel element of given outer size, physical reasoning suggests that there might be an optimum configuration for maximum heat flux with given temperature or stress limitations. If the fuel is concentrated in a thin compact at the outside, the heat path is small but the thermal conductivity is poor since the fuel conductivity is usually low; if the fuel is distributed homogeneously, the conductivity is high but the heat path is longer. Analysis shows that such an optimum exists as long as the ratio of thermal conductivities of fuel and matrix is smaller than about 1 2 . For a greater fuel conductivity the maximum heat flux is reached when the fuel is concentrated near the outer surface. These results are valid whether the maximum or the average fuel compact temperatures are limiting. Simple analytical formulae are derived in the text for a slab while results for cylindrical and spherical geometry are given in an appendix. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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