Specialists at Russia’s AA Bochvar Research Institute of Inorganic Materials (VNIINM), part of TVEL, a subsidiary of state nuclear corporation Rosatom, have patented a new modification of a composite nuclear fuel - the dispersion fuel core. 

The composite material consists of uranium particles distributed in a metal matrix. Dispersion fuel rods have a high thermal conductivity of the fuel matrix, a significantly reduced the temperature level of the core, and a temperature difference, which enables it to be operated in different modes, and also makes it safer. The rods have a uniformly distributed porosity to compensate for the swelling of the fuel during irradiation. In addition, plutonium oxides have been added to the composite, which allows the fuel to simultaneously act as a core and a reproduction zone. These properties allow its use it both in thermal reactors and in fast neutron reactors. The fuel  is provided in combination with typical zirconium alloy claddings.

VNIINM General Director Leonid Karpyuk said closure of the fuel cycle is a prerequisite for the competitive development of nuclear energy and optimal from the point of view of environmental management. “The use of composites combining the best qualities of metal and ceramic fuels and representing both the active zone and the reproduction zone with the possibility of subsequent mechanical separation of fissile isotopes without chemical processing of the fuel can be one of the solutions to this problem.”