Method for fabrication of oxide fuel pellets and the oxide fuel pellets thereby

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9847145-B2
Application number	US-201414583350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2014
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing oxide fuel pellets. The method for manufacturing the oxide fuel pellets includes (step 1) preparing nuclear fuel powder containing uranium dioxide (UO2+x, x=0 to 0.20), (step 2) compacting the nuclear fuel powder prepared in step 1 to manufacture green pellets, sintering the green pellets manufactured in step 2 at a temperature of about 1,200° C. to about 1,400° C. by using an atmosphere gas, and reducing the green pellets sintered in step 3 at a temperature of about 800° C. to about 1,000° C. by using a reducing atmosphere gas. The method for manufacturing the oxide fuel pellets according to the present invention performs the sintering at a low temperature of about 1,200° C. to 1,400° C. to manufacture economical and safe oxide fuel pellets that are adequate for the nuclear fuel specification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing oxide fuel pellets, the method comprising:
(step 1) preparing nuclear fuel powder containing uranium dioxide (UO 2+x , x=0 to 0.20);
(step 2) compacting the nuclear fuel powder prepared in step 1 to manufacture green pellets;
(step 3) sintering the green pellets manufactured in step 2 at a temperature of about 1,200° C. to about 1,400° C. by using an atmosphere gas; and
(step 4) reducing the green pellets sintered in step 3 at a temperature of about 800° C. to about 1,000° C. by using a reducing atmosphere gas.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the nuclear fuel powder in step 1 further contains gadolinia (Gd 2 O 3 ) or plutonium oxide (PuO 2 ).

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing of the green pellets in step 2 is performed under a compaction pressure of about 100 MPa to about 500 MPa.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the manufacturing of the green pellets in step 2 is performed under a compaction pressure of about 150 MPa to about 450 MPa.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere gas in step 3 comprises at least one kind of compound selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the sintering in step 3 is performed for about 2 hours to about 8 hours.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the sintering in step 3 is performed for about 2 hours to about 5 hours.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere gas in step 4 comprises a hydrogen gas.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the reducing in step 4 is performed for about 1 hour to about 5 hours.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the sintering and reducing in steps 3 and 4 are continuously performed.

Assignees

• Korea Atomic Energy Res

Inventors

• Na Sang Ho
• Park See-Hwan
• Kim Ho-Dong
• Song Dae-Yong
• Shin Hee-Sung
• Han Bo-Young
• Seo Hee
• Won Byung-Hee

Classifications

• Y02E30/30

  Nuclear fission reactors · CPC title

• G21C3/623 Primary

  Oxide fuels · CPC title

• G21C21/04

  by vibrational compaction or tamping {of fuel in the jacket} · CPC title

• G21Y2004/40

  Physics · mapped topic

• Y02E30/38

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic