Methods of preparing cores from uranium monocarbide, mononitride, and carbonitride for the fuel elements of fast reactors

Reshetnikov, F. G.; Kotel'nikov, R. B.; Rogozkin, B. D.; Bashlykov, S. N.; Samokhvalov, I.A.; Titov, G.V.; Shishkov, M. G.; Belevantsev, V. S.; Fedorov, Yu. E.; Simonov, V. A.

doi:10.1007/bf01161883

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Additionally, and unlike in the carbothermic nitriding method where nitrogen is used in a double capacity as reactant and as carrier gas to remove formed carbon monoxide, quantitative incorporation of 15 N can be achieved, which was first demonstrated with natural N 2 [ 22 ] and later repeated with actual 15 N 2 [ 23 ]. Nitride production from metal has been demonstrated to be feasible in large scale [ 24 , 25 ]. The main drawback is that high-purity uranium metal is required as feedstock.…”

Section: Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitride fuel for Gen IV nuclear power systems

Ekberg

Costa

Hedberg

et al. 2018

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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Nuclear energy has been a part of the energy mix in many countries for decades. Today in principle all power producing reactors use the same techniqe. Either PWR or BWR fuelled with oxide fuels. This choice of fuel is not self evident and today there are suggestions to change to fuels which may be safer and more economical and also used in e.g. Gen IV nuclear power systems. One such fuel type is the nitrides. The nitrides have a better thermal conductivity than the oxides and a similar melting point and are thus have larger safety margins to melting during operation. In addition they are between 30 and 40% more dense with respect to fissile material. Drawbacks include instability with respect to water and a sometimes complicated fabrication route. The former is not really an issue with Gen IV systems but for use in the present fleet. In this paper we discuss both production and recycling potential of nitride fuels.

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Section: Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitride fuel for Gen IV nuclear power systems

Ekberg

Costa

Hedberg

et al. 2018

J Radioanal Nucl Chem

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“…Continuously operating setups with capacity ~2 kg/h (Fig. 4) were developed to obtain disperse powders of uraniuim nitride and monocarbide [8,9]. While maintaining nuclear safe uranium-plutonium mass, UPu:H 2 ratio, and dimension of the apparatus it is possible to develop similar continuously operating equipment for producing UPuN 1+x or UPuC.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The uranium-plutonium hydride obtained was chemically worked with pure nitrogen or propane at temperature to 550-600°C. Nitriding with nitrogen or carbiding with propane was conducted at excess pressure to 30 mm H 2 O [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. The mass fraction of gallium in the nitride and monocarbide powders as compared with the initial amount decrease by 0.2-0.3% as a result of the operations performed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Pyrochemical conversion of weapons plutonium into plutonium mononitride, monocarbide and mixed uranium-plutonium fuel for fast reactors

et al. 2011

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The main directions and results of research on pyrochemical reprocessing of weapons plutonium in fuel for fast reactors are presented. It is shown that this technology is economical and ecologically validated, compact, fire and explosion safe, especially for reprocessing in carbide-nitride as well as oxide fuel for fast reactors. It satisfies the principle of nonproliferation. For reprocessing weapons plutonium in oxide fuel with deep removal of 241 Am and Ga, a combined process which combines pyrochemical conversion of plutonium into oxide or nitride powder, and dissolution in acids and extraction of impurities. It is shown that the fuel kernels made from nitride, carbide, and oxide powers both from individual PuN, PuC 0.86 , and PuO 2 powders as well as mixed plutonium compounds with uranium are fabricated by means of the conventional regime and provide the required density and content of gallium of <0.001 wt. %.Weapons plutonium is considered to be a very important initial energy material for fabricating fuel for future commercial nuclear power facilities. A necessary condition for converting weapons plutonium into nuclear fuel is it regeneration from irradiated fuel and re-fabrication, i.e., the development of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. In the absence of a closed fuel cycle the use of weapons plutonium becomes its actual destruction, and the enormous renewable source of energy is lost.Fast reactors with liquid-metal coolant are most promising and cost-effective for use of weapons plutonium, and they give the required breeding ratio (BRC ≥ 1.05). They make it possible to realize an inexhaustible resource for obtaining energy and to decrease the ecological load as a result of the closed fuel cycle and burning of long-lived fission products. Only fast reactors can use most effectively the enormous stores of waste uranium, including in combination with weapons and power plutonium.Thermal reactors are also being considered to salvage weapons plutonium. Salvaging of weapons plutonium in lightwater reactors will result in substantial losses (to 60%) of the energy potential and a three-fold increase in the radiotoxicity index as compared with fast reactors.An increase of the scientific-technical interest noted at beginning in the 1960s to develop a liquid-salt reactor which uses nuclear fuel in a form admitting continuous adjustment of the composition and control of the nuclear-physical, chemical, and thermophysical processes during operation. The investigations showed that such reactors can find application in electric power production for transmutation of long-lived transuranium actinides, burning spent power plutonium as well as weapons plutonium, and solving other problems.

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