Production Scale-Up of Cylindrical Compact Fabrication

Multiple process approaches have been used historically to manufacture cylindrical nuclear fuel compacts. Scale-up of fuel compacting was required for the NGNP Project to achieve an economically viable automated production process capable of providing a minimum of 10 compacts/minute with little or no rejects. In addition, the scale-up effort was required to achieve matrix density equivalent to baseline historical production processes, and allow compacting at fuel packing fractions up to 46 vol%. The scale-up approach of jet milling, fluid-bed overcoating, and hot-press compacting adopted in the U. S. Advanced Gas Reactor(AGR) Fuel Development Program involves significant paradigm shifts to capitalize on distinct advantages in simplicity, yield, and elimination of waste. The scale-up effort is nearing completion with the process installed and operable using nuclear fuel materials.