COLUMBIUM CLAD URANIUM CARBIDE FUEL ELEMENT CONTACT. Monthly Letter Report for September 1 through September 30, 1959

Technical Report · Mon Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4192234

Investigations of UC production by reaction of carbon and metal in an induction furnace, by carbon reduction of UO/sub 2/ in a vacuum furnace, and by the reaction of methane with powdered U in a gas-solid reactor are described. Characteristics of the products from these processes are described. Efforts to cold press and sinter UC pellets to a satifactory density met only limited success. Eight samples were cold pressed at 20.000 to 160.000 psi. The green densities were 9.27 to 10.73. and a set of pellets sintered in vacuum at 2050 deg C for two hours showed an increase in density (9.68 to 10.8 g/cc). Other experiments produced densities of 10.77 tc 11.82 g/cc, the higher densities were attributed to finer participates in the samples. A preliminary diffusion experiment is reported in which a cold-pressed and sintered pellet of UC was incorporated into a diffusion couple with Nb and Nb-Zr alloy. The degree of reaction was small and future studies are planned for longer times and higher temperatures. (J.R.D.)

• Research Organization: Union Carbide Metals Co., Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• NSA Number: NSA-14-006616
• OSTI ID: 4192234
• Report Number(s): ORO-229
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CARBIDES
CARBON
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COLD WORKING
DENSITY
DIFFUSION
FURNACES
GRAIN SIZE
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INDUCTION
MATERIALS TESTING
METALS
CERAMICS AND MATERIALS
METHANE
NIOBIUM
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
PELLETS
POWDERS
PRESSURE
PRODUCTION
REDUCTION
SINTERING
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VACUUM
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS