DEVELOPMENT OF PLUTONIUM BEARING FUEL MATERIALS. MONTHLY PROGRESS LETTER FOR PERIOD MAY 1 THROUGH MAY 31, 1961

Technical Report · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4055482

Garber, H J

When loaded with plutonium, reactor behavior was determined for the SM-1 and a burner reactor core composed of Shippingport seed fuel elements. Results showed that long core life is attainable with only nominal shim control requirements and that the moderator temperature coefficient of reactivity is strongly negative throughout core life. PuO/sub 2/ and PuO/sub 2/-- UO/sub 2/ fuels are being prepared by a continuous precipitation method. Surface area measurements on PuO/sub 2/ powder derived from Pu(IV) oxalate indicated an apparent increase in specific surface with time in storage. The four-module glove-box system which will enclose the reprocessing complex passed leak test requirements. Pellets were pressed from UO/sub 2/, PuO/sub 2/, 0.5 wt-% PuO/sub 2/--95.5 wt.% UO/sub 2/, and 20 wt.% PuO/sub 2/--80 wt.% UO/sub 2/ without the use of binder additives and sintered. The contaminated maintenance machine shop glove-box -was essentially completed. Techniques were developed for the metallographic preparation and chemical etching of UO/sub 2/, PuO/sub 2/, and 20 wt.% PuO/sub 2/-80 wt.% UO/sub 2/. Spherical UO/sub 2/ was prepared by the use of a plasma torch. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: Nuclear Materials and equipment corp., Apollo, Penna.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-020330
• OSTI ID: 4055482
• Report Number(s): NUMEC-P-28
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CONTROL
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
LEAKS
LIFETIME
METALLOGRAPHY
MODERATORS
PELLETS
PERFORMANCE
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
POWDERS
POWER PLANTS
PRECIPITATION
PREPARATION
REACTIVITY
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR FUELING
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SINTERING
SM-1
SPHERES
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE
TESTING
URANIUM OXIDES
VARIATIONS