Production of spherical UO/sub 2/-UC/sub 2/ for nuclear fuel applications using thermochemical principles
A process was developed for the production of high-density UO/sub 2/-UC/sub 2/ microspheres for use as fuel in HTGRs. This process applied thermochemical principles so that reaction and sintering could occur at the unusually low temperature of 1550/sup 0/C and neartheoretical densities could still be obtained. Temperatures previously used for carbothermic conversion are several hundred degrees higher./sup 12/ Reaction and sintering took place in two steps. The first was sintering in Ar-1% CO at 1550/sup 0/C for 4 h. which produced highly dense microspheres containing UO/sub 2/ and UC /SUB x/ O /SUB y/. The second required sintering in Ar-3% CO at 1550/sup 0/C for an additional 4 h to shift the thermodynamic equilibrium from UO/sub 2/ and UC /SUB x/ O /SUB y/ to UO/sub 2/ and UC/sub 2/. The highly dense structure was retained, while carbon from the carbon monoxide atmosphere reacted with UC /SUB x/ O /SUB y/ to form UO/sub 2/ and UC/sub 2/.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5880100
- Journal Information:
- J. Am. Ceram. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 65:7
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Production of spherical UO/sub 2/-UC/sub 2/ for nuclear fuel applications using thermochemical principles
Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
URANIUM CARBIDES
PRODUCTION
URANIUM DIOXIDE
ARGON
CARBON MONOXIDE
CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERES
FUEL DENSIFICATION
HTGR TYPE REACTORS
MICROSPHERES
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEAR FUEL CONVERSION
REACTION KINETICS
SINTERING
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
URANIUM CARBONATES
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ATMOSPHERES
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELEMENTS
EQUILIBRIUM
FABRICATION
FLUIDS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GASES
GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS
KINETICS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RARE GASES
REACTORS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
050700* - Nuclear Fuels- Fuels Production & Properties
360201 - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Preparation & Fabrication