Irradiation behavior of uranium-molybdenum dispersion fuel : fuel performance data from RERTR-1 and RERTR-2.

This paper presents quantitative data on the irradiation behavior of uranium-molybdenum fuels from the low temperature RERTR-1 and -2 experiments. Fuel swelling measurements of U-Mo fuels at ~40% and ~70% burnup are presented. The rate of fuelmatrix interaction layer growth is estimated. Microstructures of fuel in the preand postirradiation condition were compared. Based on these data, a qualitative picture of the evolution of the U-Mo fuel microstructure during irradiation has been developed. Estimates of uranium-molybdenum fuel swelling and fuel-matrix interaction under highpower research reactor operating conditions are presented.