Depleted uranium dioxide melting in cold crucible melter and production of granules from the melt for use in casks for spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes
- All-Russian Research Institute of Chemical Technology (ARRICT), Kashirskoe Shosse 33, Moscow 115230 (Russian Federation)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory - ORNL, 1 Bethel Valley Rd, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States)
Available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: This paper describes the results of joint research program of Russian Research Institute of Chemical Technology and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop new materials for build spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage, transport, and disposal casks using shielding made with depleted uranium dioxide (DUO{sub 2}) in a DUO{sub 2}-steel cermet or a DUCRETE with DUAGG (DUO{sub 2} aggregate) with selective additives in cement matrix. The preparation of DUO{sub 2} particles and aggregates for shielding could be produced from technologies that are extrapolated from the costly multi-step nuclear fuel pellet technologies. Melting the DUO{sub 2} and allowing it to freeze will produce a product near 100% theoretical density and assure that the product produces no volatile materials upon subsequent heating. Melting is a one step process that provides an opportunity to include additives in the DUO{sub 2} to modify its chemical or nuclear properties. The proposed work is directed to develop cold-wall induction heated melters (ICCM) for this specific application. Experiments on melting DUO{sub 2} were carried out in high frequency ICCM with cold crucible. It was experimentally proved an opportunity to produce molten DUO{sub 2} from mixed oxides (DU{sub 3}O{sub 8}) by reducing melting in ICCM. This will allow using DU{sub 3}O{sub 8} generated in direct conversion of depleted uranium hexafluoride as source material for melted and granulated DUO{sub 2} production. Experiments on the addition of alloying components - gadolinium oxide and others into DUO{sub 2} melt while in crucible to improve neutron and gamma radiation-shielding and operation properties of the final solids were carried out. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990 (United States); Technological Institute of the Royal Flemish Society of Engineers (TI-K VIV), Het Ingenieurshuis, Desguinlei 214, 2018 Antwerp (Belgium); Belgian Nuclear Society (BNS) - ASBL-VZW, c/o SCK-CEN, Avenue Hermann Debrouxlaan, 40 - B-1160 Brussels (Belgium)
- OSTI ID:
- 21156527
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ICEM'07: 11. International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management, Bruges (Belgium), 2-6 Sep 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; Proceedings may be ordered from ASME Order Department, 22 Law Drive, P.O. Box 2300, Fairfield, NJ 07007-2300 (United States)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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