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Fabrication Strategies and Thermal Conductivity Assessment of High Density UO2 Pellet Incorporated with SiC

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2012

Sunghwan Yeo ,
Edward Mckenna ,
Ronald Baney ,
Ghatu Subhash  and
James Tulenko
Sunghwan Yeo
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.S.A.
Edward Mckenna
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.S.A.
Ronald Baney
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.S.A.
Ghatu Subhash
Affiliation:
Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.S.A.
James Tulenko
Affiliation:
Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Enhanced thermal conductivity oxide fuels offer increases in both safety and efficiency of commercial light water reactors. Low-temperature oxidative sintering and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) techniques have been used to produce UO2-SiC composite pellets. Oxidative sintering performed for 4 hours at 1200∼1600oC and SPS was employed only for 5 mins at the same temperature. While oxidative sintering failed to achieve enhanced thermal conductivity, the SPS sintered pellet obtained promising features such as higher density, better interfacial contact, and reduced chemical reaction. Thermal conductivity measurement at 100oC, 500oC, and 900oC revealed maximum 62% higher thermal conductivity value, when compared to UO2 pellets, in SPS sintered UO2-10vol% SiC composite pellet. The result shows that the SPS technique is required to sinter UO2-SiC nuclear fuel pellets with a high value of thermal conductivity.

Keywords

nuclear materialsthermal conductivitysintering
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1444: Symposium S/Y – Actinides and Nuclear Energy Materials , 2012 , mrss12-1444-s07-05
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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