Particulate metal fuels used in power generation, recycling systems, and small modular reactors

Abstract

A metal particulate fuel system is described. The metal fuel system may include particulate metal fuel for use in nuclear reactors. The particulate metal fuel may include a plurality of particles of at least one enriched alloy where the particles are compacted into a fuel column. The metal particulate fuel system may also include a cladding and/or a gas-filled plenum.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A small modular reactor comprising:
 a reactor tank;   a reactor core within the reactor tank, the reactor core comprising a fuel column of packed, particulate metal fuel using an inert gas as a heat transfer medium; and   a pump for circulating liquid sodium through a heat exchanger.   
     
     
         2 . The small modular reactor of  claim 1 , further comprising a second heat exchanger for transferring heat to supercritical carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         3 . The small modular reactor of  claim 1 , further comprising a Brayton carbon dioxide cycle system. 
     
     
         4 . The small modular reactor of  claim 1 , wherein the inert gas is helium. 
     
     
         5 . A method for recycling or refabricating metal fuel, the method comprising:
 providing a fuel column with a percentage burn up;   extracting fission product waste product with pyrometallurgic recycling;   adding a percentage of a replacement material approximately equal to the percentage burn up;   creating a metal fuel alloy powder; and   vibrocompacting the metal fuel allow powder into a replacement core.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the replacement material is a depleted uranium charge. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the replacement material is light water reactor spent nuclear fuel. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the replacement material is cermet. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising reducing the cermet to a metallic state prior to adding the percentage of the replacement material. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the oxide content may be increased from approximately 10 weight % to approximately 25 weight % of the replacement core. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the metal fuel alloy powder comprises particles between about 50 and about 1000 microns in diameter.