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Solid hollow core fuel for fusion-fission engine

a technology of fusion-fission engine and solid core fuel, which is applied in the direction of nuclear reactors, nuclear elements, greenhouse gas reduction, etc., can solve the problems of significant technical challenges to achieve an economy, long-term sustainability is difficult, etc., and achieves wall stresses in fuel pebbles, high burn-up of fertile materials, and high mass fraction of fertile materials

Inactive Publication Date: 2011-11-24
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NAT SECURITY LLC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

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Benefits of technology

[0009]According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of fabricating a fuel pebble for a fusion-fission engine is provided. The method includes forming a fertile or fissile shell and enclosing a buffer material inside the fertile or fissile shell. The method also includes forming a containment shell surrounding the fertile or fissile shell and wrapping the containment shell with a composite material layer. The method further includes forming a wear and corrosion-resistant cladding layer surrounding the composite material layer. The cladding also helps forms the hermetic pressure boundary for fission gas containment.
[0011]Numerous benefits are achieved by way of the present invention over conventional techniques. For example, the present technique provides a robust fuel for nuclear reactors that can achieve high burn-up of fertile or fissile material without failure of the fuel pebble. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention provide a fuel pebble that has a high mass fraction of fertile material. Moreover, wall stresses in fuel pebbles described herein are reduced at comparable final inventory of metal atoms burn-up levels in comparison with conventional fuels, such as tri-structural iso-tropic (TRISO) fuels. Depending upon the embodiment, one or more of these benefits may be achieved. These and other benefits will be described in more detail throughout the present specification and more particularly below.

Problems solved by technology

Several factors, however, make its long-term sustainability difficult.
Thus, significant technical challenges remain to achieve an economy powered by pure inertial confinement fusion energy.

Method used

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  • Solid hollow core fuel for fusion-fission engine
  • Solid hollow core fuel for fusion-fission engine
  • Solid hollow core fuel for fusion-fission engine

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Embodiment Construction

[0017]According to the present invention, techniques related to fuel for a nuclear engine are provided. More particularly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an enhanced fuel pebble suitable for use in a laser inertial confinement fusion-fission power plant. Merely by way of example, the invention has been applied to the design and fabrication of a robust solid hollow core (SHC) fuel pebble capable of high burn-up. The methods and systems described herein are also applicable to other nuclear power plant designs. Additional discussion related to nuclear fusion-fission engines is provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled “Control of a Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion-Fission Power Plant” (Attorney Docket No. 027512-000400) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. 027512-000600US), entitled “TRISO Fuel for High Burn-Up Nuclear Engine”, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purpos...

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Abstract

A fuel pebble for use in a fusion-fission engine includes a buffer material and a fertile or fissile fuel shell surrounding the buffer material. The fuel pebble also includes a containment shell surrounding the fertile or fissile fuel shell. The containment shell includes silicon carbide. The fuel pebble further includes a composite material layer surrounding the containment shell and a cladding layer surrounding the composite material layer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 997,780, filed on Oct. 4, 2007, entitled “Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactor,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 130,200, filed on May 29, 2008, entitled “Hybrid Fusion-Fission Reactor Using Laser Inertial Confinement Fusion,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344 between the United States Department of Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Projections by the Energy Information Agency and current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios expect worldwide electric power demand to double from its current level...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G21C3/00B32B37/14B32B37/02
CPCG21B1/01G21B1/19Y02E30/16Y02T50/678Y02E50/30G21C3/626Y02E30/10Y02E30/30
Inventor FARMER, JOSEPH C.LATKOWSKI, JEFFREY F.ABBOTT, RYAN P.MOSES, EDWARD I.DIAZ DE LA RUBIA, TOMAS
Owner LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NAT SECURITY LLC
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