Report on Evolutionary Enhancements to UO₂ Pellets

Technical Report · Fri Mar 29 04:00:00 EDT 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1072232· OSTI ID:1072232

Leckie, Rafael M. ^[1]; Luther, Erik Paul ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sintered uranium oxide fuel pellets are the primary fuel used in civilian nuclear reactors. Due to extensive experience and established infrastructure, these ceramic fuels are likely to remain important for nuclear energy well into the future. Fuel pellets are produced mainly through cold-pressing ceramic powder and high temperature sintering. The processing technique presented here is designed to fit into the current fuel pellet production infrastructure with minimal changes to fuel manufacturers and reactor operators. This study makes changes in the UO₂ powder before the pellets are pressed, possibly requiring only minor changes in the manufacturing process.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1072232
• Report Number(s): LA-UR--13-22252
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Energy Sciences
Material Science