Equipment for Tory II-A fuel element fabrication

Technical Report · Fri Jul 15 04:00:00 EDT 1960

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4341714· OSTI ID:4341714

Gardner, W J; Carniglia, S C; Carpenter, H W; Luhman, W J; McClelland, J D; Richardson, J H; Rubin, J A; Zehms, E H

Declassified 27 Nov 1973. A description is given of the equipment for fabrication of beryllia ceramic fuel elements that are designed for a Tory II-A reactor experiment. The fabrication process has been physically subdivided into five principal areas: powder preparation, hot pressing, machining, aimealing, and control areas. Powder preparation comprises weighing, mixing, drying, calcining, screening, and batching. Hot press operations include die loading, hot pressing, cooling, unloading, and cleaning. Machine operations required are surface grinding, coring, and edge grinding. The annealing of fuel plates to reduce pressed-in strains and to enhance their fuel retention characteristics is carried out in a hydrogen atmosphere furnace. Principal equipment items used for control of dimensions and composition are as follows: specific gravity balance, Zyglo test kit, optical comparator, transpiration furnace, x-ray spectrometer, and spectrographic laboratory. (auth)

• Research Organization: Atomics International Div., Canoga Park, Calif. (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(11-1)-GEN-8
• NSA Number: NSA-29-018791
• OSTI ID: 4341714
• Report Number(s): NAA-SR--5263
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*FUEL PLATES-- FABRICATION
*TORY-2A REACTOR-- FUEL PLATES
ANNEALING
BALANCES
BERYLLIUM OXIDES
CALCINATION
CLEANING
CONTROL
DENSITY
DESIGN
DIMENSIONS
DRYING
EQUIPMENT
FURNACES
GRINDING
HOT PRESSING
MACHINING
MAGNETIC TESTING
MIXING
N50120* --Metals
Ceramics
& Other Materials--Ceramics & Cermets--Preparation & Fabrication
N79300 --Reactors--Reactor Fuels
PLANNING
SPECTROMETERS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WEIGHT