Preparation and characterization of the simulated burnup americium-containing uranium–plutonium mixed oxide fuel

Abstract In order to investigate the effect on fuel thermophysical properties when adding americium and selected fission products to uranium–plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, simulated low decontamination MOX fuel with high burn-ups to 250 GWd/t, has been prepared and subjected to characterization tests, elastic moduli measurements and melting temperature measurement. Elastic moduli for the simulated low decontamination MOX fuel were almost the same level as fuel without americium and fission products and decrease in the moduli was slight with increasing simulated burn-up. The melting temperature of high burn-up, low decontamination MOX fuel may be estimated by using the findings on the effect of americium, plutonium addition and fission products accumulation.

[1]  R. D. Shannon.  Revised effective ionic radii and systematic studies of interatomic distances in halides and chalcogenides , 1976 .

[2]  F. Pavese,et al.  Recommended values of temperature on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for a selected set of secondary reference points , 1996 .

[3]  H. Kleykamp,et al.  The chemical state of the fission products in oxide fuels , 1985 .

[4]  F. L. Brown,et al.  Solid fission product behavior in uranium-plutonium oxide fuel irradiated in a fast neutron flux , 1969 .

[5]  S. Yamanaka,et al.  Thermophysical properties of Mo–Ru–Rh–Pd alloys , 2003 .

[6]  K. Konno.  Liquidus Temperature of Irradiated Mixed Oxide Fuels for Fast Reactors , 2002 .

[7]  Masato Kato,et al.  Preparation and characterization of (Pu, U, Np, Am, simulated FP) O2−X , 2005 .

[8]  M. Oguma,et al.  Melting Temperature of Irradiated UO2 and UO2-2wt%Gd2O3 Fuel Pellets up to Burnup of about 30 GWd/tU , 1988 .

[9]  R. Woodley.  Variation in the oxygen potential of a mixed-oxide fuel with simulated burnup , 1978 .

[10]  Tomoyasu Mizuno,et al.  A NEXT GENERATION SODIUM-COOLED FAST REACTOR CONCEPT AND ITS R&D PROGRAM , 2007 .

[11]  Hitoshi Watanabe,et al.  On the relation between lattice parameter and O/M ratio for uranium dioxide-trivalent rare earth oxide solid solution , 1981 .

[12]  Koichi Konno,et al.  Melting Temperature of Mixed Oxide Fuels for Fast Reactors , 2002 .

[13]  Koichi Konno,et al.  Melting Temperature of Simulated High-Burnup Mixed Oxide Fuels for Fast Reactors , 1999 .

[14]  J. H. Handwerk,et al.  Elastic and Anelastic Response of Polycrystalline UO2‐PuO2 , 1970 .

[15]  W. E. Baily,et al.  The solid-liquid phase diagram for the UO2-PuO2 system☆ , 1967 .

[16]  H. Matzke,et al.  MICROSTRUCTURAL FEATURES OF SIMFUEL : SIMULATED HIGH-BURNUP UO2-BASED NUCLEAR FUEL , 1991 .

[17]  Masato Kato,et al.  Solidus and liquidus temperatures in the UO2–PuO2 system , 2008 .

[18]  Masayoshi Uno,et al.  Effect of Nd and Pr addition on the thermal and mechanical properties of (U, Ce)O2 , 2009 .

[19]  K. Une,et al.  Oxygen Potentials and Lattice Parameter of Irradiated BWR Fuels. , 1991 .

[20]  S. Yoshida,et al.  Mechanical properties of (U, Ce)O2 with and without Nd or Zr , 2001 .

[21]  L. Koch,et al.  On the valency state of americium in (U0.5Am0.5)O2−x , 1994 .

[22]  C. D. Novion,et al.  Constantes elastiques des carbures, nitrures et oxydes d'uranium et de plutonium , 1969 .

[23]  Kenji Konashi,et al.  The melting temperature of irradiated oxide fuel , 1988 .

[24]  S. Yamanaka,et al.  Mechanical properties of (U,Ce)O2 , 1998 .

[25]  R. E. Latta,et al.  Determination of solidus-liquidus temperatures in the uo2 + x system (−0.50 , 1970 .

[26]  M. G. Adamson,et al.  Experimental and thermodynamic evaluation of the melting behavior of irradiated oxide fuels , 1985 .

[27]  K. Yoshikawa,et al.  Melting temperature and thermal conductivity of irradiated mixed oxide fuel , 1993 .

[28]  J. Spino,et al.  Lattice Parameter Changes Associated with the Rim-Structure Formation in High Burn-up UO2-Fuels by Micro X-Ray Diffraction. , 2000 .

[29]  H. Kleykamp,et al.  X-ray diffraction studies on irradiated nuclear fuels , 1984 .

[30]  Koichi Konno,et al.  Melting Temperature of Irradiated Fast Reactor Mixed Oxide Fuels , 1998 .

[31]  Tomoyasu Mizuno,et al.  Minor Actinide-Bearing Oxide Fuel Core Design Study for the JSFR , 2010 .

[32]  Hiroshi Yoshimochi,et al.  Fabrication Technology for MOX Fuel Containing AmO2 by an In-cell Remote Process , 2004 .

[33]  Toshimichi Tachibana,et al.  Determination of Melting Point of Mixed-Oxide Fuel Irradiated in Fast Breeder Reactor , 1985 .