Fuel element

Claim 1

A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR COMPRISING A MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A FISSIONABLE MATERIAL IN PARTICULATE FORM, SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL OF SAID FUEL ELEMENT BEING IN SAID MIXTURE, A SOLID MODERATING MATERIAL IN PARTICULATE FORM SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING A METAL HYDRIDE HAVING A LOW THERMAL NEUTRON CROSS SECTION AND HIGH TEMPERATURE STABILITY, AND A SOLID SUPPORTING MATRIX SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING RADIATION DAMAGE-RESISTANT METAL HAVING A LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH DUCTILITY AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, SAID PARTICULATE METAL HYDRIDE AND SAID PARTICULATE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY DISPERSED WITHIN SAID MATRIX, AND A CLOSED, CORROSION-RESISTANT CONTAINER FORMED OF METAL HAVING LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND STRUCTURAL STRENGTH ENCASING SAID MATRIX, SAID PARTICULATE METAL HYDRIDE, SAID PARTICULATE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND SAID METAL BEING CHEMICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REACTIVE WITH SAID MATRIX METAL, SAID MATRIX BEING BONDED TO SAID PARTICULATE METAL HYDRIDE AND TO SAID CONTAINER, WHEREBY A FUEL ELEMENT OF HIGH STRUCTURAL STRENGTH AND INHERENT SAFETY IS PROVIDED.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF FABRICATING A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC RACTOR, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING A MIXTURE BY UNIFORMLY DISPERSING PARTICULATE METAL HYDRIDE HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND ABOUT 1000 MICRONS IN AN AMOUNT BETWEEN ABOUT 60 PERCENT AND ABOUT 90 PERCENT, BY WEIGHT OF SAID MIXTURE, AND PARTICULATE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND ABOUT 50 MICRONS IN AN AMOUNT BETWEEN ABOUT 1 PERCENT AND ABOUT 10 PERCENT WITHIN A SUPPORTING MATRIX SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING RADIATION DAMAGE-RESISTANT AND CORROSION-RESISTANT ALUMINUM HAVING A LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH DUCTILITY AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, SAID MATRIX BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF BETWEEN ABOUT 10 PERCENT AND ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF SAID MIXTURE, SAID METAL HYDRIDE HAVING A THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS SECTION LESS THAN 1.5 BARNS AND BEING STABLE AT THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTOR IN WHICH IT IS TO BE USED THAT IS, ABOVE 300*C., ENCASING SAID MIXTURE IN A CONTAINER FORMED OF CORROSION-RESISTANT, HIGH STRUCTURAL STRENGTH METAL CHEMICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REACTIVE WITH SAID MATRIX METAL, SAID CONTAINER METAL HAVING LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, DENSIFYING SAID MIXTURE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER TO PROVIDE A SOLID FUEL ELEMENT HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF THEORETICAL DENSITY AND HIGH STRUCTURAL STRENGTH AND INHERENT SAFETY, WHEREIN SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND SAID METAL HYDRIDE ARE MAINTAINED IN PARTICLE FORM AND SAID PARTICLATE METAL HYDRIDE AND SAID CONTAINER ARE BONDED TO SAID MATRIX, PROVIDING A HYDROGEN ATMOSPHERE IN SAID CONTAINER AND SEALING SAID CONTAINER SO AS TO RENDER THE SAME GAS TIGHT.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF FABRICATING A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC RACTOR, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FORMING A MIXTURE BY UNIFORMLY DISPERSING PARTICULATE METAL HYDRIDE HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 5 AND ABOUT 1000 MICRONS IN AN AMOUNT BETWEEN ABOUT 60 PERCENT AND ABOUT 90 PERCENT, BY WEIGHT OF SAID MIXTURE, AND PARTICULATE FISSIONABLE MATERIAL HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND ABOUT 50 MICRONS IN AN AMOUNT BETWEEN ABOUT 1 PERCENT AND ABOUT 10 PERCENT WITHIN A SUPPORTING MATRIX SUBSTANTIALLY COMPRISING RADIATION DAMAGE-RESISTANT AND CORROSION-RESISTANT ALUMINUM HAVING A LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH DUCTILITY AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, SAID MATRIX BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT OF BETWEEN ABOUT 10 PERCENT AND ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF SAID MIXTURE, SAID METAL HYDRIDE HAVING A THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS SECTION LESS THAN 1.5 BARNS AND BEING STABLE AT THE OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE REACTOR IN WHICH IT IS TO BE USED THAT IS, ABOVE 300*C., ENCASING SAID MIXTURE IN A CONTAINER FORMED OF CORROSION-RESISTANT, HIGH STRUCTURAL STRENGTH METAL CHEMICALLY SUBSTANTIALLY NON-REACTIVE WITH SAID MATRIX METAL, SAID CONTAINER METAL HAVING LOW THERMAL NEUTRON ABSORPTION CROSS-SECTION AND HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, DENSIFYING SAID MIXTURE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER TO PROVIDE A SOLID FUEL ELEMENT HAVING A DENSITY OF AT LEAST ABOUT 80 PERCENT OF THEORETICAL DENSITY AND HIGH STRUCTURAL STRENGTH AND INHERENT SAFETY, WHEREIN SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AND SAID METAL HYDRIDE ARE MAINTAINED IN PARTICLE FORM AND SAID PARTICLATE METAL HYDRIDE AND SAID CONTAINER ARE BONDED TO SAID MATRIX, PROVIDING A HYDROGEN ATMOSPHERE IN SAID CONTAINER AND SEALING SAID CONTAINER SO AS TO RENDER THE SAME GAS TIGHT.