Heating of uranium oxides in a microwave oven

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1979 · Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5419359

Haas, P A

The original objective of the tests was to dry samples of hydrated UO/sub 3/ gel spheres as part of a nuclear fuel preparation process. When exposed to microwave energy a hot spot will develop and grow until a 1- to 3-cm-diameter area is glowing brightly. This glowing area would reach a steady-state size without any change in the remaining UO/sub 3/. Additional tests have shown that the coupling with the microwave energy appears to require reduced valences of uranium. Several different samples of dry UO/sub 3/ did not show any significant heating when exposed in the microwave oven. On the other hand, all of the UO/sub 2/ and U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ samples heated strongly. Apparently, the hydrated gel samples first tested underwent small amounts of reduction from traces of NH/sub 3/ and organic materials remaining in the gel after washing. Once overheating started, hexavalent uranium was converted to U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ until all the microwave energy was being transformed into heat and radiated at a steady-state temperature.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
• OSTI ID: 5419359
• Journal Information: Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull.; (United States), Vol. 58:9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
DRYING
HEATING
URANIUM OXIDES U3O8
URANIUM TRIOXIDE
MICROWAVE OVENS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
APPLIANCES
CHALCOGENIDES
ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
360204* - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Physical Properties
050800 - Nuclear Fuels- Spent Fuels Reprocessing