Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of fabricating a nuclear fuel comprising:a) providing a fissile material;b) providing a plurality of hollow microballoons each microballoon comprising carbon;c) providing a phenolic resin; andd) combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons; ande) heating said combination sufficiently to form at least some fissile material carbides creating a nuclear fuel particle comprising fission product collection spaces formed from the hollow core of each said microballoon. 2. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons comprises:i. forming said fissile material into microspheres;ii. heating said fissile material microspheres sufficiently to form at least some fissile material carbides of said microspheres; andiii. overcoating said fissile material microspheres with a microballoon mixture of said phenolic resin, and said microballoons. 3. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons comprises:i. spheronizing said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons into a spheroidal particle. 4. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin and said microballoons comprises:i. overcoating said microballoons with a fissile material mixture of said phenolic resin and said fissile material. 5. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 further comprising:a) mixing said nuclear fuel particle with a metal creating a nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix; andb) compacting and extruding a plurality of said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix forming one or more fuel rods. 6. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 further comprising:a) overcoating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal mixture of a metal and a phenolic resin creating a nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor;b) heating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor sufficiently to cure and carbonize said phenolic resin and form metal carbide creating a nuclear fuel carbide particle with a metal matrix carbide shell; andc) compacting and extruding said nuclear fuel carbide particle with a metal matrix carbide shell forming one or more fuel rods. 7. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 6 further comprising:a) heating said one or more fuel rods sufficiently to react metal in said nuclear fuel particle in a matrix with the fissile material in said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix forming at least some fissile material carbides creating a nuclear carbide fuel with a metal matrix. 8. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 6 further comprising:a) said metal selected from the group of metal consisting of: Zr, Ti, Nb and combinations thereof. 9. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 further comprising:a) said hollow microballoons comprising a representative diameter between 1 and 60 microns. 10. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 further comprising:a) said hollow microballoons comprising a representative diameter between 1 and 10 microns. 11. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 further comprising:a) said fissile material comprising a representative diameter between 2 to 500 microns. 12. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons comprises:i. forming said fissile material into microspheres;ii. heating said fissile material microspheres sufficiently to form at least some fissile material carbides of said microspheres; andiii. overcoating said heated fissile material microspheres with a microballoon mixture of said phenolic resin, and said microballoons. 13. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 12 further comprising:a) overcoating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal mixture of a metal and a phenolic resin creating a nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor;b) heating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor sufficiently to cure and carbonize said phenolic resin and form metal carbide creating a nuclear fuel carbide particle with a metal matrix carbide shell;c) compacting and extruding one or more of said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix forming one or more fuel rods at a temperature at least approximately 1,100° C. and less than approximately 1,400° C.;d) cooling said one or more fuel rods;e) heating said cooled one or more fuel rods;f) said metal selected from the group of metal consisting of: Zr, Ti, Nb or a combination thereof;g) said hollow microballoons comprising a representative diameter between 1 and 10 microns;h) said fissile material comprising a representative diameter between 2 to 500 microns; andi) each said one or more fission product collection space at least at a partial vacuum. 14. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 13 further comprising:a) mixing said nuclear fuel particle with a metal before said step of compacting and extruding said nuclear fuel particle. 15. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons comprises:i. spheronizing said fissile material, said phenolic resin, and said microballoons into a spheroidal particle. 16. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 15 further comprising:a) overcoating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal mixture of a metal and a phenolic resin creating a nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor;b) heating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor sufficiently to cure and carbonize said phenolic resin and form metal carbide creating a nuclear fuel carbide particle with a metal matrix carbide shell;c) compacting and extruding one or more of said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix forming one or more fuel rods at a temperature at least approximately 1,100° C. and less than approximately 1,400° C.;d) cooling said one or more fuel rods;e) heating said cooled one or more fuel rods;f) said metal selected from the group of metal consisting of: Zr, Ti, Nb or a combination thereof;g) said hollow microballoons comprising a representative diameter between 1 and 10 microns;h) said fissile material comprising a representative diameter between 2 to 500 microns; andi) each said one or more fission product collection space at least at a partial vacuum. 17. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 16 further comprising:a) mixing said nuclear fuel particle with a metal before said step of compacting and extruding said nuclear fuel particle. 18. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 1 whereby:a) said step of combining said fissile material, said phenolic resin and said microballoons comprises:i. overcoating said microballoons with a fissile material mixture of said phenolic resin and said fissile material. 19. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 18 further comprising:a) overcoating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal mixture of a metal and a phenolic resin creating a nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor;b) heating said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix precursor sufficiently to cure and carbonize said phenolic resin and form metal carbide creating a nuclear fuel carbide particle with a metal matrix carbide shell;c) compacting and extruding one or more of said nuclear fuel particle with a metal matrix forming one or more fuel rods at a temperature at least approximately 1,100° C. and less than approximately 1,400° C.;d) cooling said one or more fuel rods;e) heating said cooled one or more fuel rods;f) said metal selected from the group of metal consisting of: Zr, Ti, Nb or a combination thereof;g) said hollow microballoons comprising a representative diameter between 1 and 10 microns;h) said fissile material comprising a representative diameter between 2 to 500 microns; andi) each said one or more fission product collection space at least at a partial vacuum. 20. The method of fabricating a nuclear fuel of claim 19 further comprising:a) mixing said nuclear fuel particle with a metal before said step of compacting and extruding said nuclear fuel particle.