Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Shaping or treating radioactive material
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-18
2004-05-11
Fiorilla, Christopher A. (Department: 1731)
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Shaping or treating radioactive material
C423S260000, C423S261000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733699
ABSTRACT:
This invention refers to a method for producing nuclear fuel pellets of the MOX (=mixed oxide) type, comprising the steps of
preparing an U-Pu oxide blend powder having a Pu content in excess of the finally desired value,
preparing an uranium oxide powder,
mixing adequate quantities of both powders in order to achieve the desired plutonium content,
compacting and sintering the mixture for obtaining said pellets.
Such a method is known under the term MIMAS (“MIcronized MASter Blend”—see for example D. Haas, M. Lippens “MOX FUEL FABRICATION AND IN-REACTOR PERFORMANCE”, Proc. of the Internat. Conference on Future Nuclear Systems, GLOBAL 97, p.489 à 494). This separate preparation of a powder free of plutonium reduces the volume of plutonium containing powder that has to be milled, and allows the production of fuel pellets of various plutonium contents with a unique plutonium treatment chain by changing only the rate of admixed uranium powder.
The commercial powders currently used, however, result in a final product which is heterogeneous, i.e. contains large particles rich in plutonium oxide dispersed within an uranium oxide matrix whose grain size is below 10 &mgr;m. This heterogeneity leads to two major drawbacks:
During irradiation localised higher fissile material concentrations lead to high local burnups, to fission damages and to gas release. To limit this gas release large UO
2
grains are recommended, provided that they are produced without additives that might lead to detrimental fuel behaviour during irradiation and might also lead to difficulties during reprocessing.
During reprocessing the dissolution of the burned-up fuel in nitric acid is hindered by regions rich in plutonium, which is notoriously insoluble.
The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks and to propose a method as indicated above which leads to fuel pellets of the MOX type in which the distribution of plutonium throughout the pellet is substantially more homogeneous.
This aim is achieved by the method as defined in claim 1. As far as preferred embodiments of this method are concerned, reference is made to the secondary claims.
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International Search Report PCT EP 00/08057 Dec. 7, 2000.
Haas, Didier et al., “Mox Fuel Fabrication and In-Reactor Performance”, Proc. of the International Conference on Future Nuclear Systems, Global 97, p. 489-494, XP-000869930.
Charollais François
Fourcaudot Serge
Fuchs Claude
Haas Didier
Somers Joseph
European Community (EC)
Fiorilla Christopher A.
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