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Several irradiation experiments have confirmed the positive effect of adding Si to the matrix of an U(Mo) dispersion fuel plate on its in-pile irradiation behavior. E-FUTURE, the first experiment of the LEONIDAS program, was performed to select an optimum Si concentration and fuel plate heat treatment parameters for further qualification. It consisted of the irradiation of 4 distinct (regarding Si content and heat treatments), full size flat fuel plates in the BR2 reactor under bounding conditions (470 W/cm 2 peak BOL power, ∼70% peak burn-up). After the irradiation, the E-FUTURE plates were examined non-destructively and found to have pillowed in the highest burn-up positions. The destructive post-irradiation examination confirmed that the fuel evolves in a stable way up to a burn-up of 60% 235 U. Even in the deformed area (pillow) the U(Mo) fuel itself shows stable behavior and remaining matrix material was present. From the calculation of the volume fractions, the positive effect of a higher Si amount added to the matrix and the higher annealing temperature can be derived.

UMo-Al based fuel plates prepared with ground U8wt%Mo, ground U8wt%MoX (X = 1 wt%Pt, 1 wt%Ti, 1.5 wt%Nb or 3 wt%Nb) and atomized U7wt%Mo have been examined. The first finding is that that during the fuel plate production the metastable γ-UMo phases partly decomposed into two different γ-UMo phases, U2Mo and α′-U in ground powder or α″-U in atomized powder. Alloying small amounts of a third element to the UMo had no measurable effect on the stability of the γ-UMo phase. Second, the addition of some Si inside the Al matrix and the presence of oxide layers in ground and atomized samples is studied. In the case with at least 2 wt%Si inside the matrix a Silicon rich layer (SiRL) forms at the interface between the UMo and the Al during the fuel plate production. The SiRL forms more easily when an Al–Si alloy matrix – which is characterized by Si precipitates with a diameter ⩽1 μm – is used than when an Al–Si mixed powder matrix – which is characterized by Si particles with some μm diameter – is used. The presence of an oxide layer on the surface of the UMo particles hinders the formation of the SiRL.

In the framework of the elimination of High-Enriched Uranium (HEU) from the civil circuit, the search for an appropriate fuel to replace the high-enriched research reactor fuel in those reactors that currently still require it for their operation has led to the development of a U–7 wt.%Mo alloy based dispersion fuel with an Al–Si matrix. The European LEONIDAS program, joining SCK•CEN, ILL, CEA and AREVA-CERCA, is aimed at the qualification of such a fuel for the use in high power conditions. The first experiment of the program, designated E-FUTURE, was performed to select the appropriate matrix Si concentration and fuel plate post-production heat treatment parameters for further qualification. It consisted of the irradiation of four distinct (4% and 6% Si, 3 different heat treatments) full size, flat fuel plates in the BR2 reactor. The irradiation conditions were relatively severe: 470 W/cm 2 peak BOL power, with a ∼70% 235 U peak burnup.

Two low-enriched uranium fuel plates consisting of U–7wt%Mo atomized powder dispersed in an aluminum matrix, have been irradiated in the FUTURE irradiation rig of the BR2 reactor at SCK•CEN. The plates were submitted to a heat flux of maximum 353 W/cm 2 while the surface cladding temperature is kept below 130 °C. After 40 full power days, visual examination and profilometry of the fuel plates revealed an increase of the plate thickness. In view of this observation, the irradiation campaign was prematurely stopped and the fuel plates were retrieved from the reactor, having at their end-of-life a maximum burn-up of 32.8% 235 U (6.5% FIMA). The microstructure of one of the fuel plates has been characterized in an extensive post-irradiation campaign. The U(Mo) fuel particles have been found to interact with the Al matrix, resulting in an interaction layer which can be identified as (U,Mo)Al 3 and (U,Mo)Al 4 . Based on the composition of the interaction layer it is shown that the observed physical parameters like thickness of the interaction layer between the Al matrix and the U(Mo) fuel particles compare well to the values calculated by the MAIA code, an U(Mo) behavior modeling code developed by the Commissariat a l’energie atomique (CEA).

In order to gain insight on the performance limits of U 3 Si 2 fuel with Al cladding, fuel plates with a fissile material density of 5.1 and 6.1 g U/cm 3 were irradiated in the BR2 reactor of SCK • CEN in Mol. The plates were intended to be subjected to severe conditions leading to a cladding surface temperature of 180–200 °C and fuel temperatures of 220–240 °C. The irradiation program was stopped after the second cycle based on the visual inspection and wet sipping tests of the elements, correspondingly showing degradations on the outer Al surfaces of the U 3 Si 2 plates and the release of fission products. The maximum fuel burn-up was 29% and 25% 235 U, respectively. In a PIE program the microstructural causes for this degradation are analysed. It is found that the failure of the plates is entirely related to the corrosion of the Al cladding, which has caused temperatures to rise well beyond the calculated values. In all stages, the fuel grains have retained their integrity and, apart from the formation of an interaction phase with the Al matrix, they do not demonstrate deleterious changes in their physical properties.

International audience; Within the framework of the development of low enriched nuclear fuels for research reactors, U-Mo/Al is the most promising option that has however to be optimised. Indeed at the U-Mo/Al interfaces between U-Mo particles and the Al matrix, an interaction layer grows under irradiation inducing an unacceptable fuel swelling. Adding silicon in limited content into the Al matrix has clearly improved the in-pile fuel behaviour. This breakthrough is attributed to an U-Mo/Al-Si protective layer around U-Mo particles appeared during fuel manufacturing. In this work, the evolution of the microstructure and composition of this protective layer with increasing Si concentrations in the Al matrix has been investigated. Conclusions are based on the characterization at the micrometer scale (X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy) of U-Mo7/Al-Si diffusion couples obtained by thermal annealing at 450 °C. Two types of interaction layers have been evidenced depending on the Si content in the Al-Si alloy: the threshold value is found at about 5 wt.% but obviously evolves with temperature. It has been shown that for Si concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 wt.%, the U-Mo7/Al-Si interaction is bi-layered and the Si-rich part is located close to the Al-Si for low Si concentrations (below 5 wt.%) and close to the U-Mo for higher Si concentrations. For Si weight fraction in the Al alloy lower than 5 wt.%, the Si-rich sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si)3 + UMo2Al20, when the other sub-layer (close to U-Mo) is silicon free and made of UAl3 and U6Mo4Al43. For Si weight concentrations above 5 wt.%, the Si-rich part becomes U3(Si, Al)5 + U(Al, Si)3 (close to U-Mo) and the other sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si)3 + UMo2Al20. On the basis of these results and of a literature survey, a scheme is proposed to explain the formation of different types of ILs between U-Mo and Al-Si alloys (i.e. different protective layers).