Fuel element for a neutronic reactor

Claim 1

A FUEL ELEMENT FOR A NEUTRONIC REACTOR, SAID FUEL ELEMENT COMPRISING A SINGLE WALLED FUEL CONTAINER FABRICATED OF NEUTRON MODERATING MATERIAL HAVING A LOW PERMEABILITY TO FISSION PRODUCTS, SAID CONTAINER ALSO HAVING AN UPPER POROUS GAS INLET REGION CONTAINING A CENTRAL PURGE GAS ENTRANCE PASSSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID CONTAINER ALSO INCLUDING A PURGE GAS OUTLET LOCATED AT THE LOWER END THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF SPLIT RING FUEL COMPACTS HAVING A THERMAL EXPANSION GAP BETWEEN HALVES OF THE RING DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY STACKED RELATION AROUND A VERTICAL CENTRAL SPINE OF NEUTRON MODERATING MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CONTAINER, EACH OF SAID COMPACTS BEING FABRICATED OF A MIXTURE OF FUEL PARTICLES AND PARTICLES OF NEUTRON MODERATING MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID FUEL PARTICLES HAVING A PROTECTIVE COATING OF PYROLYTIC CARBON BONDED THERETO, EACH OF SAID COMPACTS HAVING BEVELED UPPER AND LOWER MARGINS ALONG THE PERIPHERY THEREOF TO PROVIDE IN STACKED RELATION TRANSVERSE PURGE GAS PASSAGEWAYS, EACH OF SAID COMPACTS HAVING AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREOF A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL GROOVES, SAID GROOVES BEING ALIGNED REGARDING THE RESPECTIVE COMPACTS TO PROVIDE ALONG THE VERTICAL LENGTH OF SAID STACK OF COMPACTS VERTICAL PURGE GAS PASSAGEWAY WHICH SAID TRANSVERSE PASSAGEWAYS INTERSECT, AN END CAP FABRICATED OF NEUTRON MODERATING MATERIAL HAVING A LOW PERMEABILITY TO FISSION PRODUCTS DISPOSED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID STACK OF COMPACTS, SAID CAP INLUDING A PLURALITY OF GROOVES MATCHING THE GROOVES OF SAID COMPACTS, THE UPPER END OF SAID CAP BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER IN A MANNER TO PROVIDE A PURGE GAS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PURGE ENTRANCE PASSAGEWAY, A REMOVABLE FISSION PRODUCT TRAP DISPOSED BELOW AND SPACED FROM SAID STACK OF COMPACTS BY AN INTERPOSED REGION OF NEUTRON MODERATING MATERIAL AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RADIAL VERTICALLY EXTENDING CAVITIES IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID PURGE GAS PASSAGEWAYS, WHEREBY PURGE GAS PASSING FROM THE SURFACE OF SAID COMPACTS IS DIRECTED TO THE FISSION PRODUCT TRAP CAVITIES, SAID CAVITIES CONTAINING A FISSION PRODUCT TRAPPING AGENT, THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID TRAP BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID GAS OUTLET, WHEREBY PURGE GAS CAN PASS FROM SAID FUEL ELEMENT.