Study finds silicon in unirradiated TRISO particles ans.org

University of Western Ontario researchers found silicon-rich regions in both bare uranium oxycarbide kernels and unirradiated TRISO particles, showing the silicon was present before reactor exposure and was not introduced by the coating process. Their study suggests fabrication or uranium feedstock as possible sources, but the silicon’s effect on fuel performance is unknown; Idaho National Laboratory’s Paul Demkowicz cautioned that the kernels studied differ from those used in the AGR program.