PLUTONIUM-CERIUM ALLOY
Pu/sup 239/ must be diluted by alloying before it can function well as a reactor fuel; plutonium-cerium alloys are excellent for this purpose, cerium having good neutronic, fabrication, and radiation resistance properties. Plutoniumceriunn alloys can be prepared by melting and cooling and can be cast into desired shapes. From the given phase diagram, it is seen that for alloys of 0 to 15 at.% cerium, the phase is delta plutonlum, and for alloys of 15 to 90 at.% cerium, the phase is a mixture of delta plutonium and alpha cerium; either phase may be used in reactors. The ratio of plutonium weight in a critical-mass alloy to that in critical-mass unalloyed plutonlum was studied as a function of at.% cerium, and it is seen that cerium keeps the ratio closer to unity than other metals, the ratio being 1.3 at 10 at.% cerium. It is noted that plutonium-cerium alloys containing 15 to 80 at.% cerium must not be used in reactors above 550 deg C since at that temperature the delta phase transforms to the epsilon phase with a sudden change in volume. (D.L.C.)
- Research Organization:
- Originating Research Org. not identified
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-024621
- OSTI ID:
- 4138382
- Report Number(s):
- GB 846433
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
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PLUTONIUM-CERIUM ALLOY
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