THE PRODUCTION OF UO$sub 2$ FOR CERAMIC FUELS
Uranium dioxide powder suitable for forming and sintering into high density ceramic fuel may be prepared by hydrogen reduction of ammonium diuranate. Some of the variables in the preparition of ammonium diuranate and in its subsequert reduction to UO/sub 2/ have been investigated. The aim was to define the conditions for making a readily sinterable UO/sub 2/ powder of consistert properties. Ammonium diuranate was prepared by both bitch and continuous precipitation. The effect of varying the precipitation conditions was shown by determining the sintered density of the UO/sub 2/ pellet prepared from the ammonium diuranate under standard conditions. The effect of varying the reduction conditions was demonstrated. The results show that the sintering properties of the uranium dioxide are insensitive to reduction conditions, but are affected grossly by variations in the ammonium diuranate preparation. Methods of preparing UO/sub 2/ which will sinter to a density consistently greater than l0.0 gm/cc are given for both batch and continuous precipitation. Two relatively simple measurements---air permeability and tap density---were made routinely on both ammonium diuranate and UO/sub 2/ powders. These measurements can be used to segregate powders of poor sintering characteristics but are not useful in predicting minor differences in sinterability. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Chalk River Project, Chalk River, Ont.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-002284
- OSTI ID:
- 4350535
- Report Number(s):
- CRL-45; AECL-515
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Presented before the Symposium on Fuel Element Fabrication, Paris, France, November 18-23, 1957. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
- Country of Publication:
- Canada
- Language:
- English
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