FUEL CYCLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. Quarterly Progress Report, January 1 to March 31, 1962
The permanent shutdown of the Westinghouse Testing Reactor at the end of the quarter forced a revision in plans for programming the remainder of the irradiation of the two uninstrumented capsules whose testing was in progress. The minimum estimated burnup at this point, based on hot cell data obtained from the pilot capsule, was 13,100 MW-d/ton U. It was decided to continue the testing of only one capsule in another reactor until the original goal of 20,000 MW-d/ton U is reached. The irradiation of the second capsule is to be terminated so that it can serve as a control. Fabrication was initiated on enriched UO/sub 2/ pellets for incorporation in full scale fuel rods to be irradiated in the Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor. A wet nitrogen pyrohydrolysis step in conjunction with oxidationreduction cycling is being used to attain a satisfactory density exceeding 95% of theoretical at 1150 deg C. Apparatus and procedures being used for measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of sintered and cast uranium carbide are described. The coefficient of linear thermal expansion for a single specimen of 4.37 wt.% carbon sintered uranium carbide was determined to be 11.8 x 10/sup -6/ mm/mm- deg C, while that for a cast uranium carbide specimen containing 4.73 wt.% carbon was 10.6 x 10/sup -6/ mm/mm- deg C over the range from room temperature to l000 deg C. Hardness data for 4.4 and 4.8 plus or minus 0.1 wt.% carbon sintered and cast uranium carbide and for 5.2 wt.% carbon cast material are also presented. Irradiation test specimens previously prepared were given a pre-irradiation examination and were encapsulated. Three capsules, two using a sodium bond between fuel and container and one using an interference fit between fuel and container, were loaded in the MTR and appear to be operating under the required conditions. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- United Nuclear Corp. Development Div., White Plains, N.Y.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- NSA Number:
- NSA-16-030026
- OSTI ID:
- 4772538
- Report Number(s):
- UNC-5015
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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FUEL CYCLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. Quarterly Progress Report, April 1 to June 30, 1962
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Related Subjects
BREEDING
BURNUP
CAPSULES
CARBON
CASTING
DENSITY
EXPANSION
FABRICATION
FUEL CANS
FUEL CYCLE
FUELS
HARDNESS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INSTRUMENTS
IRRADIATION
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
MATERIALS TESTING
MTR
NITROGEN
PELLETS
PYROLYSIS
QUANTITY RATIO
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SINTERING
SODIUM
TESTING
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
URANIUM CARBIDES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VBWR
WTR