Thermophysical properties of a uranium-6 wt. % zirconium alloy were investigated at high temperatures to evaluate the performance of the alloy as a driver fuel for a liquid-metal cooled fast reactor. Of particular interest to the authors were the coefficient of thermal expansion, the specific heat, and the thermal conductivity of the alloy....
Thermal conductivity is one of the most important properties of fuel and cladding material. In this study, the thermal conductivity of uranium and T91 steel were measured using the transient plane source (TPS) method. Results showed that the thermal conductivity of T91 increased gradually to a point, then decreased. Fast reacting cladding materials require high thermal conductivities, and T91 was found to have higher conductivities than other commercial materials. As ...