Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

PRELIMINARY IRRADIATIONS OF PuC AND UC-PuC

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4127983· OSTI ID:4127983
Preliminary irradiations were made of arc-cast specimens of RaC andd UC- PuC andd of pressed and sintered pellets of UC--RaC to determine the suitability of these materials for further development as possible fuels for liquid metal- cooled fast reactors. The PuC content in the mixedcarbide specimens was near 20 wt%. The specimens were irradiated as fuel rods in the fast reactor EBR-I. Maximum fuel burnup and temperature during irradiation were respectively 0. 10 metal atom percent and 650 deg C. The cast PuC specimens were found to have fractured to a greater extent under irradiation than did the cast mixed-carbide specimens. Dimensional chandges in those specimens which did not fracture were negligible. Fission gas release from the cast specimens was 0.24% of the theoretical yield. The pressed andd sintered pellets did not fracture under irradiation and showed negligible dimensional chandges. Fission gas release from the pellets was 12.0% of theoretical. The high gas release from the pressed and sintered specimens is attributed to a relatively high degree of open porosity which existed in the pellets. (auth)
Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab., Ill.
DOE Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
NSA Number:
NSA-18-005813
OSTI ID:
4127983
Report Number(s):
ANL-6678
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English