THE USE OF PLUTONIUM AS FUEL IN NUCLEAR REACTORS. Quarterly Report No. 1, July 15 to October 15, 1960

Technical Report · Wed Oct 31 04:00:00 EST 1962

OSTI ID:4818844

Apparatus was constructed for the studies of precipitates formed with nitrates of calcinable salts and for recycling and analysis. This apparatus was tested with U. Two methods for the densification of UO/sub 2/ powders being examined are arc fusion and resistance fusion. Fabrication of spherical particles of UO/sub 2/ by mixture with a solution of camphor or alcohol in water and then screening was carried out. Simultaneous studies are being carried out on methods of compacting UOsub 2/ and PuO/sub 2/ by vibration and swaging. Coreduction and fusion of Nb-Zr alloys were studied. Efforts to make powders from these alloys proved successful. The co-reduction of UOsub 2/-MoOsub 3/ with carbon was carried out in an attempt to fabricate non-pyrophoric, gamma -uranium. The following procedure was adopted for dispersion shaping: mixing the dispersed and dispersing phases, compression of the mixture, and swaging the pellet after it is sheathed. An apparatus was constructed which will allow measurement of the specific heat of ceramic fuels based on the heat content per unit/mass. A study of the reaction Zr( beta ) yields Zr( alpha ) + Zr( beta ) was carried out at 380 to 600 deg C. Corrosion of Zr-Nb alloys was investigated to 300 deg C. The mechanical properties of scattered fuel elements were investigated. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: Societe Belge pour l'Industrie Nucleaire, Brussels; Brussels. Centre d'Etude de l'Energie Nucleaire
• NSA Number: NSA-16-018613
• OSTI ID: 4818844
• Report Number(s): EURAEC-22
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

COMPACTING
DISPERSIONS
FABRICATION
FUELS
HEAT TREATMENTS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
LATTICES
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MIXING
MOLYBDENUM OXIDES
NIOBIUM ALLOYS
NITRATES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PELLETS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PLUTONIUM
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
PRECIPITATION
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REDUCTION
SALTS
SOLUTIONS
TESTING
URANIUM
URANIUM DIOXIDE
VIBRATIONS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS