FUEL ELEMENT FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain extra reactivity at the initial stage of combustion in the same manner as when a UO2-Gd2O3 fuel pellet is used, to facilitate manufacture of fuel at reduced cost, and to eliminate the need for reducing the charge of Pu even in the case of a MOX(uranium-plutonium mixed oxides) fuel assembly. SOLUTION: This fuel element for a nuclear reactor comprises a fuel sheath pipe 14 packed with a fuel pellet 16 containing no combustible reactivity controlling material, the fuel sheath pipe 14 comprising a sheath pipe main body 10 lined on its inner surface with a metal combustible reactivity controlling material 12 (or its alloy). For example, the sheath pipe main body is made from zircaloy and the metal combustible reactivity controlling material is metal gadolinium or the like.