Tritium in Nitride Fuel of Fast Reactors

• Published in: Atomic energy (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2019-02, Vol.125 (4), p.244-249
• Main Authors: Ustinov, O. A., Kashcheev, V. A., Shadrin, A. Yu, Tuchkova, A. I., Semenov, A. A., Lesina, I. G., Anikin, A. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building materials; Cladding; Computer applications; Energy industry; Fast nuclear reactors; Fission products; Fuel reprocessing (Nuclear reactors); Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Hydrogen; Hydrogen fuels; Migration; Nitrides; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear environmental management; Nuclear fuel elements; Nuclear fuel reprocessing; Nuclear industry; Nuclear Physics; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear reactors; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Reactor materials; Reactors; Spent nuclear fuels; Spent reactor fuels; Tritium; Vibrations
• ISSN: 1063-4258; 1573-8205
• DOI: 10.1007/s10512-019-00474-9

The formation of tritium in reactors, its behavior in nitride fuel and possibility of bonding with fission products, and the characteristics of migration out of the fuel-element cladding are examined. It is shown by a computational method that owing to diffusion through the steel cladding the stationary content of tritium in a fuel element is established over several hours of operation and most of the formed tritium escapes through the cladding, some being retained in it. The presence of hydrogen (tritium) in structural reactor materials in the course of operation of the reactor and thermal vibrations of the structure can significantly degrade the strength of steel structural materials. In this connection, in the BREST facility, the emphasis on the problem of catching tritium is shifted from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel to handling the lead coolant and the gas medium in the interior of the reactor.