New generation nuclear fuel structures: dense particles in selectively soluble matrix

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Advanced Materials

OSTI ID:956530

Sickafus, Kurt E ^[1]; Devlin, David J ^[1]; Jarvinen, Gordon D ^[1]; Patterson, Brian M ^[1]; Pattillo, Steve G ^[1]; Valdez, James ^[1]; Phillips, Jonathan ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory

We have developed a technology for dispersing sub-millimeter sized fuel particles within a bulk matrix that can be selectively dissolved. This may enable the generation of advanced nuclear fuels with easy separation of actinides and fission products. The large kinetic energy of the fission products results in most of them escaping from the sub-millimeter sized fuel particles and depositing in the matrix during burning of the fuel in the reactor. After the fuel is used and allowed to cool for a period of time, the matrix can be dissolved and the fission products removed for disposal while the fuel particles are collected by filtration for recycle. The success of such an approach would meet a major goal of the GNEP program to provide advanced recycle technology for nuclear energy production. The benefits of such an approach include (1) greatly reduced cost of the actinide/fission product separation process, (2) ease of recycle of the fuel particles, and (3) a radiation barrier to prevent theft or diversion of the recycled fuel particles during the time they are re-fabricated into new fuel. In this study we describe a method to make surrogate nuclear fuels of micrometer scale W (shell)/Mo (core) or HfO2 particles embedded in an MgO matrix that allows easy separation of the fission products and their embedded particles. In brief, the method consists of physically mixing W-Mo or hafnia particles with an MgO precursor. Heating the mixture, in air or argon, without agitation, to a temperature is required for complete decomposition of the precursor. The resulting material was examined using chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and micro X-ray computed tomography and found to consist of evenly dispersed particles in an MgO + matrix. We believe this methodology can be extended to actinides and other matrix materials.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 956530
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-09-00338; LA-UR-09-338; TRN: US201014%%1899
• Journal Information: Advanced Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Materials
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ACTINIDES
AIR
ARGON
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY
COST
DECOMPOSITION
FILTRATION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL PARTICLES
FUELS
HEATING
KINETIC ENERGY
MATERIALS
MATRIX MATERIALS
MIXING
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FUELS
PARTICLES
PRECURSOR
PRODUCTION
RADIATIONS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
THEFT
X-RAY DIFFRACTION