Process for the production of ceramic plutonium-uranium nuclear fuel in the form of sintered pellets
AssigneeGesellschaft zur Forderung der Forschung an der Eidgenossischen Technischen Hochschule
InventorsKlaus Bischoff, Richard W. Stratton
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Abstract
Ceramic plutonium-uranium fuels are made by sintering wet-chemical microspheres of plutonium-uranium solid-solution oxides, carbides, nitrides, or the like, or by sintering separate plutonium- and uranium-compound microspheres mixed together, the uranium compound alternatively being in a fine-grained to pulverulent form.
Claims31
A process for the production of a plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel wherein green pellets are formed by pressing from:
- (i) a mixture of (a) an oxide, finely-divided carbon-containing oxide, carbide, nitride, oxycarbide, or carbonitride of plutonium, in the form of microspheres obtained by a wet chemical process, and (b) a like compound of uranium in a form selected from such microspheres and fine-grained to pulverulent materials;
- or
- (ii) a like compound of a plutonium-uranium solid solution of which at least 1% is plutonium, in the form of microspheres obtained by a wet chemical process, alone or in admixture with a material selected from the said plutonium-compound microspheres, the said uranium-compound microspheres, and the said fine-grained to pulverulent materials,
- and the green pellets are subjected to a heat treatment that includes a sintering to final density.
A low-dust process for the production of a homogeneous plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel which comprises the steps of
- (a) mixing together a plutonium-containing compound and a uranium-containing compound, said plutonium-containing compound being in the form of microspheres produced by a wet chemical process and being selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride;
- and said uranium-containing compound being in the form of either microspheres or else a fine-grained to pulverulent form of a uranium compound selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride,
- (b) pressing the mixture formed in step (a) to form green pellets, and
- (c) heat treating the green pellets in step (b) to form a plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel.
A low-dust process for the production of a homogeneous plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel which comprises the steps of
- (a) forming microspheres of a plutonium-uranium solid solution by a wet chemical process, said plutonium-uranium solid solution containing at least 1% plutonium, said plutonium-uranium solid solution containing plutonium compounds selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride, and said plutonium-uranium solid solution containing uranium compounds selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride,
- (b) pressing the microspheres in step (a) to form green pellets, and
- (c) heat treating the green pellets in step (b) to form a plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel.
A low-dust process for the production of a homogeneous plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel which comprises the steps of
- (a) mixing together (i) microspheres obtained from a wet chemical process of a plutonium-uranium solid solution, said solid solution containing at least 1% plutonium, said plutonium-uranium solid solution containing plutonium compounds selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride, and said plutonium-uranium solid solution containing uranium compounds selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride, (ii) microspheres of plutonium-containing compounds produced by a wet chemical process, said plutonium-containing compounds selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride, and (iii) a uranium-containing compound either in microsphere form or else a fine-grained to pulverulent form, said uranium-containing compound selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a carbon-containing oxide, a carbide, a nitride, an oxycarbide, and a carbonitride,
- (b) pressing the mixture formed in step (a) to form green pellets, and
- (c) heat treating the green pellets in step (b) to form a plutonium-uranium ceramic fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.