Fabrication of Cerium Oxide and Uranium Oxide Microspheres for Space Nuclear Power Applications

Conference · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2013

OSTI ID:1082385

Katalenich, Jeffrey A.; Hartman, Michael R.; O'Brien, Robert C.

Cerium oxide and uranium oxide microspheres are being produced via an internal gelation sol-gel method to investigate alternative fabrication routes for space nuclear fuels. Depleted uranium and non-radioactive cerium are being utilized as surrogates for plutonium-238 (Pu-238) used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators and for enriched uranium required by nuclear thermal rockets. While current methods used to produce Pu-238 fuels at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) involve the generation of fine powders that pose a respiratory hazard and have a propensity to contaminate glove boxes, the sol-gel route allows for the generation of oxide microsphere fuels through an aqueous route. The sol-gel method does not generate fine powders and may require fewer processing steps than the LANL method with less operator handling. High-quality cerium dioxide microspheres have been fabricated in the desired size range and equipment is being prepared to establish a uranium dioxide microsphere production capability.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1082385
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-12-27641
• Conference Information: Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS 2013),Albuquerque NM,02/25/2013,02/28/2013
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
radioisotopes fabrication
sol-gel
spherization