Post Examination of Candidate NpO2 Targets for 238Pu Production
Four targets composed of sintered NpO2 pellets enclosed in Zircaloy cladding were irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor for 2 to 4 cycles to determine if an oxide pellet and Zircaloy cladding would be usable candidates for 238Pu production. The pellets were sintered to a high fraction of theoretical density (TD) and melt wires were placed in small holes that had been drilled in the center of selected pellets to determine if the pellet centers exceeded desirable operating temperatures. After irradiation, the targets were punctured to determine the internal target pressure and the fission gas release. None of the targets had excessive pressure, and fission gas release was in the range of 4 to 38%. The targets were then cut into segments for radiochemical analysis, and metallography (MET) mounts were created to examine the pellet microstructure and to search for the melt wires to determine if they had melted. Three of the four targets resulted in successful MET mounts; the two-cycle pellets were too friable to be handled. No signs of pellet melting were noted, and unfortunately, none of the melt wires could be recovered. The results indicate that this pellet/clad design offers a practical option for 238Pu production.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1782043
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-2020/1820
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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