SPECIFICATIONS AND PROCEDURES USED IN MANUFACTURING U$sub 3$$O$$sub 8$- ALUMINUM DISPERSION FUEL ELEMENTS FOR CORE I OF THE PUERTO RICO RESEARCH REACTOR
A thin plate-type element containing a dispersion of 20% enriched U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ was developed and successfully used in the 5-Mw pool-type research reactor at the Puerto Rico Nuclear Center. The underlying criteria that guided the design are presented. The technological factors, such as compatibility, corrosion resistance, and irradiation behavior, which led to the selection of U/ sub 3/O/sub 8/ as the fissile compound and aluminum as the cladding and matrix material, are reviewed. The fabrication procedures developed and adopted for manufacturing the component are presented. The scheme involves incorporation of 55 wt% U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ into aluminum compacts by powder metallurgy techniques, preparation of composite fuel plates by roll cladding, assembly of fuel plates into an integral unit by either the roll-swaging or pinning techniques, and corrosion protection of the element by an anodizing treatment to increase service life. Quality control measures adopted to ensure dimensional tolerances are described. Mechanical joining proved to be an economical method for assembling the pool-type fuel elements within dimensional specifications. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-17-042398
- OSTI ID:
- 4682412
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-3458
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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