Final report for FY 1965 on tungsten--uranium dioxide materials for NASA. Part I. Preparation of high purity uranium oxide powders. Part II. Cladding and joining of tungsten cermets by plasma spraying. Part III. Tungsten coating of uranium dioxide particles

Technical Report · Mon Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 1965

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4405623· OSTI ID:4405623

Cochran, W L; Knight, R G; Stanley, F S

Declassified 28 Aug 1973. Several uranium oxide fuel materials were prepared for evaluation. Included was a 2-pound sample of plasma jet spheroidized. 30- to 60- mu UO/sub 2/ of precisely controlled stoichiometry containing less than 50 ppM metallic impurities. Six 1-pound samples of 30- to 60- mu U0/sub 2/ were prepared which contained calcium oxide, thorium oxide, or yttrium oxide stabilizing agents in solid solution. These powders were coated with 8 to 10 mu of tungsten by hydrogen reduction of tungsten hexaflouride in a fluidized bed. Seven 1-pound samples of 30- to 60- mu U0/sub 2/ containing various concentrations of yttrium oxide in solid solution were also prepared. Finally, a 1-pound sample of less than 5- mu UO/sub 2/ containing 10 mole% yttrium oxide was produced. Procedures were developed for applying metallurgically bonded tungsten coatings to the edges of W-U0/sub 2/ cermet fuel elements. These coatings were effective in reducing the U0/sub 2/ loss in high- temperature tests at NASA. Of several techniques examined for producing a halide- free tungsten coating on 30- to 60- mu U0/sub 2/ powder. the most promising were (a) vacuum evaporation of tungsten using electron beam heating, and (b) electrostatically bonding fine WO/sub 2/ powder onto the UO/sub 2/, followed by conversion to tungsten by hydrogen reduction. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-29-005400
• OSTI ID: 4405623
• Report Number(s): K-1647; NASA-CR-54482
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Declassified 28 Aug 1973. Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-74
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

N50120* -Metals
Ceramics
& Other Materials-Ceramics & Cermets-Preparation & Fabrication
N77800 -Reactors-Space
Mobile
Propulsion
Transportation & Package Reactors
*CERMETS- CLADDING
*ROVER REACTORS- FUEL ELEMENTS
*TUNGSTEN ALLOYS- CLADDING
*TUNGSTEN- DEPOSITION
*URANIUM DIOXIDE- SURFACE COATING
JOINING
PLASMA ARC SPRAYING
POWDERS
YTTRIUM OXIDES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems