Patent Number: 048805971
Section: claims

1. In a fuel element for use in a nuclear reactor which includes a fissionable material contained within a zirconium-alloy cladding tube, the improvement which comprises: a coating on the inside of the zirconium-alloy cladding tube, said coating including a nickel-thallium-boron burnable poison compound. 2. The fuel element of claim 1 in which the burnable poison compound is a deposit from an electroless plating process which includes a boron-containing reducing agent. 3. The fuel element of claim 1 in which the burnable poison compound includes boron enriched in B.sup.10 to the range of 50 to 80 percent by weight to give a desired nuclear poison level for use in the nuclear reactor. 4. The fuel element of claim 1 in which the zirconium-alloy is from the group Zircaloy-2 or Zircaloy-4.