Patent ID: 11919815
Assignee: UT-BATTELLE, LLC
Field: Materials, metallurgy (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  B  G  F  Y | IPC B  C  G

Claim 0:
1. An integral nuclear fuel element comprising:
a fuel envelope having a content of silicon carbide of greater than 85% by weight, the fuel envelope including an outer sidewall, an inner sidewall, a base, and a cap that define therebetween a hermetically sealed internal fuel volume, wherein the outer sidewall, the inner sidewall, the base, and the cap of the fuel envelope each include a densified outer layer of silicon carbide having a greater density than an inner layer of silicon carbide, with the densified outer layer having a thickness of at least 20 microns, the fuel envelope defining at least one cooling channel extending from the base to the cap along the inner sidewall; and
a plurality of fuel particles contained within the hermetically sealed internal fuel volume of the fuel envelope, the plurality of fuel particles including a fissile material, wherein silicon carbide powders are disposed in the hermetically sealed internal fuel volume between adjacent ones of the plurality of fuel particles, the silicon carbide powders being at least an order of magnitude smaller than the plurality of fuel particles, wherein the plurality of fuel particles achieve a packing fraction of greater than 50% such that the integral nuclear fuel element includes a content of silicon carbide of less than 25% by volume.