Research on advanced fuel element for upgrading safety of high temperature gas-cooled reactors, 4; Modeling for casting oxidation resistant fuel element reactors

Kuroda, Masatoshi*; Tojo, Takuya*; Yamamoto, Takenori*; Aihara, Jun ; Tachibana, Yukio 

High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is a fourth generation nuclear reactor with inherent safety. In recent years, fuel elements with oxidation resistance has been developed for use in HTGR. In order to maintain the structural integrity of the oxidation resistant fuel element under accident conditions, a technique to fabricate a high-strength fuel should be required. In the present study, hot pressing conditions have been considered as the parameters which affect the strength of the oxidation resistant fuel compact, and a model has been created to predict the strength of the fuel compact from the hot pressing conditions by applying statistical approaches. The hot pressing conditions which can fabricate the high-strength oxidation resistant fuel element were also predicted by the model.