2. Manufacture and testing of fuel elements

2.1 Core production processes

Fissile or fertile fuel core production processes have evolved considerably since their inception in the 1960s, in line with projects and knowledge of manufacturing processes. As part of the Peach Bottom program (American prototype reactor shut down in 1974, see [ ]), for UC ₂ , ThC ₂ or (U, Th)C ₂ type cores, the process initially implemented was the high-temperature (above 2,500 ˚C) vacuum melting of a mixture of carbon powder and uranium and/or thorium oxides to form the dicarbon. As part of the DRAGON project (a European research reactor shut down in 1975, see [ ]), the dry agglomeration...