/sup 238/Pu fuel form processes. Quarterly report, January-March 1980

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6551854· OSTI ID:6551854

Folger, R. L.

Progress in the general purpose heat source GPHS process demonstration program is reported. Fuel-Scale fabrication tests continued in the Plutonium Experimental Facility (PEF) with the successful fabrication of five additional GPHS pellets (GPHS Pellets 19 to 23). Characterization of GPHS Pellets 17 and 19 to 23 has been completed. Integral pellets of generally good quality continued to be produced in recent fabrication tests at SRL; however, pellets showed more cracks than did centerline pellets. GPHS Pellets 18, 20, and 22, which were fabricated under SRL centerline conditions, were packaged and shipped to LANSL for impact testing. Pre-test inspection at LANSL revealed that all pellets retained the integrity and dimensional stability observed at Savannah River. Direct-strike precipitation of Pu(III) oxalate would eliminate a number of powder-conditioning steps and, therefore, appears to be a safer and simpler method of producing feed for direct fabrication of /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ fuel forms, according to recent SRL experiments. Powder characterization studies suggested that a mixture of sintered and unsintered rosettes made by direct-strike Pu(III) oxalate precipitation might be successfully substituted for the shards currently being used for fabrication of GPHS fuel forms.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 6551854
• Report Number(s): DPST-80-128-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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