Development of oxygen getter materials for FBR MOX fuel, 1

Morihira, Masayuki ; Segawa, Tomoomi ; Namekawa, Takashi; Matsuyama, Shinichiro*; Yuda, Ryoichi*; Mizusako, Fumiki*

Investigation of oxygen getter option is in progress for FBR MOX fuel to restrain the cladding inner surface corrosion at the high burn-up of 150 GWd/t. Evaluation of the requirement for the oxygen getter materials showed that Zr and Ti were promising candidate materials. Method of loading getter materials into a fuel element was also investigated. Their oxygen uptake ability and restructuring behavior during the oxidation were evaluated by the heating at 1573 K for 10 h under the controlled oxygen potential. As a result, it was shown that both Zr and Ti were available as an oxygen absorber but Ti was superior from the geometrical stability.