Patent ID: 11935661
Assignee: BWXT NUCLEAR ENERGY, INC.
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  B  C  F  Y | IPC B  C  F  G

Claim 0:
1. A method of manufacturing a CERMET fuel element including a CERMET fuel meat and a plurality of fuel element coolant channels, comprising:
assembling a plurality of channel blanks in spaced-apart relation inside a can assembly, wherein assembling includes attaching a first end of each channel blank to a fixture of the can assembly and forming, by the spaced-apart relation, a void space between the plurality of channel blanks, and wherein an outer surface of each channel blank includes a plurality of spacer structures and each of the plurality of spacer structures is sized to provide uniform separation distance between each channel blank;
adding a first plurality of ceramic fuel particles to the void space;
sealing the can assembly; and
consolidating the first plurality of ceramic fuel particles to form the CERMET fuel meat,
wherein the first plurality of ceramic fuel particles have a composition including high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) with U-235 assay above 5 percent and below 20 percent and a fuel particle coating containing tungsten or containing molybdenum and tungsten, and
wherein a diameter of each of the plurality of channel blanks prior to consolidating is equal to or is smaller than a final diameter of the fuel element coolant channels in the CERMET fuel element.