• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.660-664
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• 2000

Effect of various kinds of additive such as AlOOH, Al(OH)3, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, Nb2O5, TiO2 and MgO on the properties and microstructures of UO2 pellet has been examined. All the tested dopants had played a role to reduce sintered density and open porosity. It was revealed that the addition of TiO2 made pellet more stable thermally. UO2 pellet doped with 0.2wt% TiO2 was swelled rather than densified after annealing for 24 hrs at 1$700^{\circ}C$. It was attributed to large pore with spherical shape. Titinia and silicon coexisted with Al element were more effective to increase grain size than other additives. It could be also revealed that the formation of liquid phase was the main cause of grain growth.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.343-353
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• 2017

Processing and equipment were tailored for engineering scale fabrication of $UO_2$ porous pellets, a feed material for the electrolytic reduction process in the PRIDE (PyRoprocessing Integrated DEmonstration) facility at KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). The starting materials, $UO_2$ powder and pre-milled surrogate oxide powders, were proportioned to simulate the chemical composition of spent fuel (so-called Simfuel). The Simfuel powders were homogenized by mixing, compacted into a pellet shape, and finally heat treated using a tumbling mixer, rotary press, and sintering furnace. After sintering at $1450^{\circ}C$ for 24 h in $4%\;H_2-Ar$, the average bulk density of the $UO_2$ Simfuel pellets was $6.89g{\cdot}cm^{-3}$, which meets the standard of the following electrolytic reduction process. In addition, the results of a microstructural analysis demonstrated that the sintered Simfuel $UO_2$ porous pellets accurately simulate the properties of spent fuel in terms of the formation of second phases. These results provide essential information for the massive fabrication of $UO_2$ porous pellets for engineering scale pyroprocessing research.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.567-572
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• 2004

The variation of the sintered density and grain size of UO$_2$ as a function of the Li$_2$O amount and sintering atmosphere was observed. Li$_2$O enhanced the grain growth of the UO$_2$ pellet in H$_2$, but rather hindered it in $CO_2$ atmosphere. Grain size of the UO$_2$ and UO$_2$-0.1 wt%Li$_2$O pellets was, respectively, 8 $\mu$m and 100 $\mu$m at 168$0^{\circ}C$ in the H$_2$ atmosphere, and that of each pellet was, respectively, 24 $\mu$m and 17 $\mu$m at the same temperature in the $CO_2$ atmosphere. As-received Li$_2$O powder, which had been composed of Li$_2$O and LiOH, was converted to the Li$_2$CO$_3$ phase after heating to 80$0^{\circ}C$ in $CO_2$. On the other hand, the Li$_2$O and LiOH phases remained unchanged in H$_2$ atmosphere. In the H$_2$, the as-received Li$_2$O powder began to evaporate at about 105$0^{\circ}C$ and then about 20 wt% residue was left at 150$0^{\circ}C$. But, most of the Li elements evaporated at 150$0^{\circ}C$ in the $CO_2$ atmosphere.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2003

Threshold porosity above which fission gas release channels would be formed in the rim egion of high burnup UO$_2$ fuel was estimated by the Monte Carlo method and Hoshen-Kopelman algorithm. With the assumption that both rim pore and rim grain can be represented by cube, pore distribution in the rim was simulated 3-dimensionally by the Monte Carlo method according to porosity and pore size distribution. Then, using the Hoshen-Kopelman algorithm, the fraction of open rim pores interlinked to the outer surface of a fuel pellet was derived as a function of rim porosity. The simulation showed that porosity of 24-25% is the threshold above which the number of rim pores forming release channels increases very rapidly. On the other hand, channels would not be formed if the porosity is less than about 23.5%. This is consistent with the observation that, for porosity less than 23.5%, almost no fission gas is released in the rim. However, once the rim porosity reaches beyond 25%, extensive open paths would be developed and considerable fission gas release would start in the rim.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.14-24
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• 2003

This work investigates the effects of Cr$_2$O$_3$ and oxygen potential on grain growth and densification of UO$_2$ pellets. Powder mixtures of UO$_2$ and 0.03-0.4wt% Cr$_2$O$_3$ were pressed and sintered in 3 different gas atmospheres: the $H_2O$-to-H$_2$ ratios were 5$\times$10$^{-4}$ , 1$\times$10$^{-2}$ and 3$\times$10$^{-2}$ In the first gas atmosphere the Cr$_2$O$_3$ contents below 0.2 wt% have an insignificant effect on grain size, but the Cr$_2$O$_3$ contents more than 0.3 wt% promote grain growth in the inner zone of a pellet but not in the outer zone. In both the second and third atmospheres, the grain size increases with the Cr$_2$O$_3$ content. With the same level of Cr$_2$O$_3$ content the grain size is larger in the second atmosphere than in the third. Sintering behavior and developed microstructure are discussed in terms of the reduction of C$r^2$O$^3$ to Cr, the dissolution of C$r^2$O$^3$ in UO$_2$, and liquid phase sintering.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.227-230
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• 2013

The phase change of $(U_{1-x}Nd_x)_3O_8$ powder produced by oxidation of Nd-doped $UO_2$ pellet at $500^{\circ}C$ was investigated by high temperature oxidation heat treatment at $900{\sim}1500^{\circ}C$ under an air atmosphere. The XRD analysis results showed that the formation of $(U_{1-y}Nd_y)O_{2+z}$ phase and $U_3O_8$ phase from metastable $(U,Nd)_3O_8$ phase initiated at a temperature of $1000^{\circ}C$. The relative integrated intensity of $(U_{1-y}Nd_y)O_{2+z}$ phase to $U_3O_8$ phase increased with increasing of the oxidation temperature from 1100 to $1500^{\circ}C$. And also, it was found from the SEM observation that the particle size of $(U_{1-y}Nd_y)O_{2+z}$ phase increased with increasing of the oxidation temperature. However, electrone probe X-ray microanalyzer (EPMA) analysis results showed that Nd contents in $(U_{1-y}Nd_y)O_{2+z}$ phase decreased with increasing of the oxidation temperature. This behavior on the ground of XRD, SEM, and EPMA analysis data could be interpreted in terms of the transportation of U ions from $U_3O_8$ phase into $(U_{1-y}Nd_y)O_{2+z}$ phase through the interface of two phases during high temperature oxidation.