b'Figure 2. U 3 Si 2MiniFuel U 3 Si 2 project. Pressing defects were apparentfabrication process, which will be test specimens that have beenparticularly for the smallest geometryconsidered next FY. Fabrication efforts prepared at LANL and shipped toannular pellets that were 3mm inwill be useful for future irradiation ORNL for testing in HFIR. diameter with a 1 mm annular holeexperiments at ATR for both thermal through the center; however, theand fast spectrum application of fuels.majority of these defects were locatedIn FY19, great strides were taken to near the punch face that could beincrease the envelope of enriched removed from the ends to yield highfuel processing and fabrication at the density pellets with minimal defectsFuels Research Laboratory (FRL) at Los present. Further refinements to theAlamos National Laboratory (LANL). punch and die designs are beingThis process was initiated in FY18 considered to minimize the losswith the establishment of a standalone observed in the high burn up pellet 24 2019|AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS'