IRRADIATION AND POSTIRRADIATION ANNEALING OF SOME ALUMINUM-BASE FUELS

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1963

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4128054· OSTI ID:4128054

Reinke, C. F.

Irradiated specimens of 39 wt% U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ dispersed in aluminum and of aluminum-17.3 wt% uranium alloy were andnealed. Each specimen was partially clad with aluminum. Gross swelling was not observed for the aluminum- 39 wt% U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ dispersion specimens for burnup and annealing temperature levels ranging up to 1.0 x 10/sup 20/ fissions per cc and 550 deg C, respectively. Small volume increases were found, however, and these were attributed to the aluminum reduction of U/sub 3/O/sub 8/, which is accompanied by measurable volume increases. X-ray diffraction andalyses confirmed the reaction between the U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ and the aluminum matrix. The dispersion specimens and, in particular, the U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ particles sintered during irradiation at temperatures from 55 to 90 deg C in an effective thermal-neutron flux of between 1 and 3 x 10/sup 13/ nv. Annealing at 550 deg C produced severe localized blistering on specimens of aluminum-17.3 wt% uranium alloy having burnups of 5.9 x 10/sup 20/ fissions per cc. Similar conditions produced only a small uniform volume increase when the burnup was 1.4 x 10/sup 20/ fissions per cc. The observed stability is attributed to a defect structure in the compound UAl/sub 4/ in which unoccupied uranium sites trap fission products and, in particular, fission product gases. (auth)

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., Ill.
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• NSA Number: NSA-18-005812
• OSTI ID: 4128054
• Report Number(s): ANL-6665
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
BLISTERS
BURNUP
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DEFECTS
DIFFRACTION
DISPERSIONS
EXPANSION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL CANS
GASES
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
NEUTRON FLUX
SINTERING
TRAPS
U3O8
URANIUM ALLOYS
X RADIATION