Fabrication of Minor Actinide Fuels using Advanced Liquid Processing Routes

The implementation of partitioning and transmutation (P&T) is an innovative route to abate the long term radiotoxicity of minor actinides (MA), prevalent in spent nuclear fuel. Fabrication of such fuels containing minor actinides will be challenging and needs innovation to combat typical deficits of powder metallurgy. The most major problem will be dust, a typical characteristic of precipitated powders, which if not prevented will accumulate on the surfaces of the production equipment, and limit the possibility of operator intervention for equipment, replacement, repair or adjustment. New fuel processing routes are necessary. The first fabrication step will begin at the conversion from liquid step, which must be made in a controlled manner, so that the powder produced is dust free, i.e. the particle size should be greater than 20 µm. Sol gel routes based on internal or external gelation provide a solution, and tests in the ITU's specially shielded minor actinide laboratory (MA LAB) have been successful for the production of uranium oxide and inert matrix based americium bearing fuels and targets. Infiltration of the minor actinide into a porous support has the added advantage of waste minimisation. A number of the fuels have been irradiated in Phénix and HFR reactors.

SOMERS Joseph; 

2011-08-18

IAEA

JRC58519

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC58519,