Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T02:32:36.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fabrication of Uranium Dioxide Microspheres by Classic and Novel Sol-Gel Processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2014

A. Deptuła ,
M. Brykala ,
M. Rogowski ,
T. Smolinski ,
T. Olczak ,
W. Łada ,
D. Wawszczak ,
A. Chmielewski  and
K.C. Goretta
A. Deptuła
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
M. Brykala
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
M. Rogowski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
T. Smolinski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
T. Olczak
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
W. Łada
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
D. Wawszczak
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
A. Chmielewski
Affiliation:
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Street, 03-195 Warsaw, Poland
K.C. Goretta
Affiliation:
Air Force Research Laboratory, Arlington, VA 22203-1768, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

Uranium dioxide (UO2) microspheres were fabricated by two sol-gel processes. First used was a classical process variant, as developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, consisting of (1) reduction of commercial uranyl to U(IV) nitrate; (2) preparation of a sol by precipitation of uranium hydroxide, its peptization, and solvent extraction of nitrates; and (3) gelation to microspheres by extraction of water through addition of a dewatered 2-ethyl-1-hexanol emulsion. Substantial improvement in microsphere production was achieved by application of a sol-gel process in which ascorbic acid was used as strong complexing agent. In this method, the reduction step was omitted and uranyl (VI) ascorbate sols/hydroxyl sols were formed from a suspension of either a uranium trioxide or a uranyl nitrate solution. Gelation through water extraction yielded perfect microspheres. Other metals can be easy added to these sols. Thermal treatment of the UO2 microspheres by calcination and reduction in hydrogen atmosphere was designed on the basis of differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis.

Keywords

sol-gelUactinide
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1683: Symposium S – Actinides—Basic Science, Applications and Technology , 2014 , mrss14-1683-s04-04
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Olander, D., J. Nucl. Mater. 389, 1 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sood, D.D., J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol. 59, 404 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaidya, V.N., J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol. 46, 369 (2008).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor: Fuels and Materials Report (IAEA-TECDOC-1645, Vienna, Austria, 2010).Google Scholar
Deptuła, A. and Majani, C., “Sol-Gel Processes and their Applications,” ENEA Report No. RT/TIB/86/25 (ENEA, Rome, 1986).Google Scholar
Sol-Gel Processes for the Production of Ceramic Nuclear Fuels, Symposium held in Turin, Italy, 2–3 October 1967 (CNEN, Rome, 1968).Google Scholar
Proceedings of the Conference on Sol-Gel Processes for Ceramic Nuclear Fuels, 6–10 May 1968 (IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 1968).Google Scholar
Proceedings of the Symposium on Sol-Gel Processes and Reactor Fuel Cycles, Gatlinburg, TN, 4–7 May 1970 (ORNL Report CONF-700502, Oak Ridge, TN, 1970).Google Scholar
Sol-Gel Processes for Fuel Fabrication (IAEA-161), Proceedings of a Panel organized by IAEA 21-24 May, 1973 (IAEA, Vienna, Austria. 1973).Google Scholar
Hunt, R.D., Hickman, R.R., Ladd-Lively, J.L., Anderson, K.K., Collins, R.T., and Collins, J.L., Ann. Nucl. Energy 69C, 139 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBride, I.P., McCorkle, K.H., Petterson, W.L., and Finney, B.C., Nucl. Tech. 77, 5 (1972).Google Scholar
Finney, B.C. and Haas, P.A. in ORNL Report 4802 (ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN, 1972) p. 44.Google Scholar
Deptuła, A., Rebandel, J., Drozda, W., Łada, W., and Olczak, T. in Better Ceramic Through Chemistry V, edited by Hampden- Smith, M.J., Klemperer, W.G., and Brinker, C.J. (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 271, Pittsburg, PA, 1992) pp. 277–283.Google Scholar
Deptula, A., Łada, W., Olczak, T., and Chmielewski, A.G., Nukleonika (S. 1) 51, S79 (2006).Google Scholar
Deptuła, A., Łada, W., Olczak, T., Lanagan, M.T., Dorris, S.E., Goretta, K.C., and Poeppel, R.B., “Method for preparing of high temperature superconductors,” Polish Patent 172,618 (1997).Google Scholar
Deptuła, A., Brykala, M., Łada, W., Wawszczak, D., Olczak, T., and Chmielewski, A.G., “Method for preparing of uranium dioxide in the form of spherical and irregular grains,” Republic of Belarus Patent No. BY17231 (2009); Polish Patent Pending, No. P-389385 of 27-10-2009; EU Application No./Patent No. 101884385 – 1218(2010); Russian Federation Application – Reg. No. 2010 136670; Ukraine Application No. 2010 10756.Google Scholar