Conceptual study of measures against heat generation for TRU fuel fabrication system

Kawaguchi, Koichi  ; Namekawa, Takashi

The JAEA has developed advanced FBR cycle system since 1999 as the Feasibility Study (FS). Several combination of fuel and reactor type, reprocessing method and fuel fabrication method were studied. As the result of FS, the combination of oxide fuel, sodium cooling reactor, advanced aqueous reprocessing system and simplified pelletizing fuel fabrication system is chosen as the most promissing fuel cycle system. In the Fast Reactor Cycle technology (FaCT), six development issues for simplified pelletising technology were selected. TRU fuel handling technology, which is heat removal from nuclear fuel material, is one of these issues. Accumulation of decay heat of MA which is contained in TRU fuel cause oxidation of fuel powder, fuel pellet and cladding tube. Authors designed concept of powder hoppper, O/M adjusting furnace and fuel assembling equipment with heat removal function, and evaluated temperature distribution using thermal hydraulics analysis technique. As a result, it is shown that it is possible to cool fuel materials with specific heat generation up to 20 W/kgHM enough, though more detailed study is required for comprehensive equipments.