Helium Infusion In Nuclear Materials

Increasing the burnup limits for economic reasons and preferring MOX for the possibility of recycling spent material are among the two main reasons that lead to a greater production of helium in fuel and a consequent higher fission gas release in nuclear fuel. These are a major concern for the performance of the fuel rods in operation but also their safe management during disposal to avoid any potential radioactive release to the environment. Generally, these classes of problems could be handled through progressively more comprehensive and predictive models. However, these require an increased understanding of the physical properties and transport mechanisms for helium behaviour in nuclear fuels and materials. For this, helium has been infused in glasses used for the vitrification of radioactive waste, paving the way for further investigation in materials considered for nuclear waste disposal, besides nuclear fuel.