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Abstract French GENIV sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) system could include Americium (Am) recycling in the radial fertile blankets located in the outer core regions. An issue related to this option is the lack of knowledge regarding the in-pile behaviour of the Am-bearing blanket (AmBB). The DIAMINO separate-effect experiment was irradiated in the OSIRIS Material Test Reactor (MTR) with the goal of studying AmBB gaseous release and swelling as a function of temperature, AmBB microstructure and gas production rate. A brief description of the experiment is first provided, in terms of objectives and planning. The innovative design developed for the DIAMINO experiment is described in details. The DIAMINO irradiation time history is then summarized and the first results of non-destructive post-irradiation examinations are given. The LICOS fuel design code of the PLEIADES platform was used for the thermo-mechanical modelling of the DIAMINO experiment. The Pleiades platform, co-developed by CEA and its industrial partners EDF and FRAMATOME, gathers several fuel performance codes, each generally dedicated to the fuel element of a particular nuclear system. For its part, the LICOS code allows performing studies on innovative fuel elements or on the design of irradiation devices for instance. The thermo-mechanical modelling of the DIAMINO experiment device using the LICOS code is detailed in the paper together with the validation of the computations on the basis of some experimental temperature measurements performed on an in-pile mock-up of the experiment. The use of the simulation tool for the monitoring of the AmBB sample temperature under irradiation and for the post-irradiation calculations is explained and illustrated through some examples. Highlights • French Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor system may include Americium recycling in the radial fertile blankets. • DIAMINO experiment aims at measuring gaseous release and swelling of Am-bearing blankets as a function of temperature. • The innovative design, the irradiation-time history and the first results of the experiment are presented in the paper. • The LICOS fuel performance code was used to design the DIAMINO innovative experimental device. • The LICOS thermomechanical simulations and the in-pile experimental validation are presented in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Fuel tested: Am0.15·U0.85·O1.94; with two densities. [•] The MARIOS irradiation has been concluded, as planned, successfully. [•] The objectives of the experiment, temperature and burn-up, have been fulfilled. [•] The irradiation of such kind of nuclear fuel did not show any particular problems. [•] The pellets used are still intact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Americium is a strong contributor to the long term radiotoxicity of high activity nuclear waste. Transmutation by irradiation in nuclear reactors of long-lived nuclides like 241Am is, therefore, an option for the reduction of radiotoxicity and residual power packages as well as the repository area. The MARIOS irradiation experiment is the latest of a series of experiments on americium transmutation (e.g. EFTTRA-T4, EFTTRA-T4bis, HELIOS). MARIOS experiment is carried out in the framework of the 4-year project FAIRFUELS of the EURATOM 7th Framework Programme (FP7). During the past years of experimental work in the field of transmutation and tests of innovative nuclear fuel containing americium, the release or trapping of helium as well as swelling has shown to be the key issue for the design of such kinds of target. Therefore, the main objective of the MARIOS experiment is to study the in-pile behaviour of UO2 containing minor actinides (MAs) in order to gain knowledge on the role of the microstructure and of the temperature on the gas release and on fuel swelling. The MARIOS experiment will be conducted in the HFR (high flux reactor) in Petten (The Netherlands) and will start in the beginning of 2011. It has been planned that the experiment will last 11 cycles, corresponding to 11 months. This paper covers the description of the objective of the experiment, as well as a general description of the design of the experiment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Americium (Am) is a strong contributor to the long-term radiotoxicity of high-level waste from nuclear fuels. Transmutation of long-lived nuclides like 241Am by irradiation in nuclear reactors is therefore an option for the reduction of radiotoxicity and heat production of waste volumes to be stored in a repository. The MARINE irradiation experiment is the latest in a series of European experiments on americium transmutation (e.g. EFTTRA-T4, EFTTRA-T4bis, HELIOS, MARIOS, SPHERE) performed in the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten (The Netherlands). The development and irradiation of MARINE was carried out in the framework of the collaborative research project PELGRIMM of the EURATOM 7th Framework Programme (FP7). Dismantling was completed and post-irradiation examinations (PIE) were started within the Dutch national research programme PIONEER. Destructive PIE is foreseen within the Euratom H2020 funded project PATRICIA. The main objective of the MARINE experiment is to study the in-pile behaviour of uranium oxide fuel containing 13% of americium and to compare the behaviour of sphere-pac versus pellet fuel, in particular the role of microstructure and temperature on fission gas and helium release dynamics on fuel swelling. The MARINE experiment was irradiated for 359 Full Power Days in the HFR in 2016 and 2017. This paper discusses results from irradiation, i.e. power and temperature history and transmutation rates as well as preliminary results from post irradiation examinations, assessing a.o. clad strains and helium and fission gas release and first ceramographic observations, putting a preliminary upper bound on fuel swelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Americium is a strong contributor to the long term radiotoxicity of high activity nuclear waste. Transmutation by irradiation in nuclear reactors of long-lived nuclides like 241 Am is therefore an option for the reduction of radiotoxicity and heat production of waste packages to be stored in a repository. The MARINE irradiation experiment is the latest of a series of European experiments on americium transmutation (e.g. EFTTRA-T4, EFTTRA-T4bis, HELIOS, MARIOS, SPHERE) performed in the High Flux Reactor (HFR). The MARINE experiment is developed and carried out in the framework of the collaborative research project PELGRIMM of the EURATOM 7th Framework Programme (FP7). During the past years of experimental works in the field of transmutation and tests of innovative nuclear fuels, the release or trapping of helium as well as swelling have been shown to be the key issues for the design of such kind of fuel both as drivers and even more for Am-bearing blanket targets (due to the higher Am contents). The main objective of the MARINE experiment is to study the in-pile behaviour of uranium oxide fuel containing 13% of americium and to compare the behaviour of sphere-pac versus pellet fuel, in particular the role of microstructure and temperature on fission gas release and He on fuel swelling. The MARINE experiment will be irradiated in 2016 in the HFR in Petten (The Netherlands) and is expected to be completed in spring 2017. This paper discusses the rationale and objective of the MARINE experiment and provides a general description of its design for which some innovative features have been adopted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]