FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN METALLURGY. Progress Report for January 1961

Technical Report · Mon Mar 20 04:00:00 EST 1961

OSTI ID:4059477

Plans were formulated for the fabrication of enriched uranium oxide fuel elements by hot extrusion. The development of fuel sub-assemblies from large composite sheets with dimples in non-fueled areas, from which large spiral and ribbon-candy models can be made is described. Al-clad Al-25 wt.% U plates were used for preparation of the core. Techniques of swaging and drawing for fabrication of yttrium metal without a protective cladding were developed. Three organic solvents were studied to determine their efficiency in the decontamination of U/sup 232/-bearing fuel. The extractants were Aliquot 336, Alamine 336, and TBP. Alamine 336 gave the best results. The extraction isotherm indicated that if three extraction stages were used at a solvent- toaqueous ratio of about 1.1 to 1, 99.99% uranium extraction could be effected. Ammonium chloride was used as the stripping solution and 99% of the uranium was stripped in two stages. Successful extrusions of aluminum were carried out at room temperature utilizing a highpressure fluid in the lines. Extrusion reductions from 5x to 47x were achieved. An investigation was made of the mechanism of corrosion of zirconinm alloys in hightemperature steam, with emphasis on the role of intermetallic precipitates. The thermodynamics of the interaction of gases with zirconium intermetallic compounds, the structure and properties of the metal substrate beneath the oxide film on corroding zirconium, and oxide film growth were studied. Thermal analysis, beta-phase boundary studies, and investigations of the possibility of retention of the beta phase were carried out on Be-Ba alloys. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: Nuclear Metals, Inc., Concord, Mass.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-014640
• OSTI ID: 4059477
• Report Number(s): NMI-2093
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
AMINES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BARIUM COMPOUNDS
BEARINGS
BERYLLIUM ALLOYS
BUTYL PHOSPHATES
CONFIGURATION
CORROSION
DECONTAMINATION
EFFICIENCY
ENRICHMENT
EXPANSION
EXTRUSION
FABRICATION
FILMS
FLUIDS
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOT WORKING
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
LATTICES
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PRECIPITATION
PRESSURE
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
STEAM
STRIPPING
SWAGING
THERMAL ANALYSIS
THERMODYNAMICS
URANIUM 232
URANIUM ALLOYS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
YTTRIUM
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS