Novel material made of uranium, gadolinium and oxygen and use thereof as consumable neutron poison
AssigneeCommissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
InventorsDario PIECK, Lionel DESGRANGES, Pierre MATHERON, Yves PONTILLON
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a novel material made of uranium, gadolinium and oxygen, having a crystalline phase having cubic crystallographic structure, having an atomic ratio Gd/[Gd+U] of 0.6 to 0.93, the uranium being present in an oxidation state of +IV and/or +V. The invention further relates to the use of such a material as a consumable neutron poison of a fuel element.
Claims21
A material based on uranium (U), gadolinium (Gd) and oxygen (O) exhibiting a crystalline phase with a crystallographic structure of cubic type, with a Gd/[Gd+U] atomic ratio between 0.6 and 0.93, the uranium being present therein in the +IV and/or +V oxidation state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.