TITLE:
Engineering of Fuel Plates on Uranium-Molybdenum Monolithic: Critical Issues
AUTHORS:
Jaime Lisboa, Jorge Marin, Mario Barrera, Héctor Pesenti
KEYWORDS:
Metallurgic Bonding, Co-Rolling, Monolithic UMo, Aluminum Alloy, Nuclear Fuel
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology,
Vol.5 No.4,
October
28,
2015
ABSTRACT: Engineering of nuclear fuels using monolithic plates of uranium-molybdenum and Al-6061 cladding is the current challenge for research and test reactors. The main drawback of the manufacture of monolithic nuclear fuel was analyzed using two surface coating methods: aluminum sputtering and transient liquid phase bonding (TLPB). Coating was done with a commercial alloy of Al-Si (R-4047). These techniques were used to improve the metallurgical bonding between the UMo and the cladding by rolling. Finally, design parameters and manufacture of UMo plate fuels were established. Mechanical tests were used to characterize the plates, resulting in UTS values of about 700 and 1000 MPa for the UMo alloys. These results are complemented with metrological analyses, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analyses, and metallography. X-rays and ultrasound scanners were used to monitor bonding and the co-rolling effects. These initial results show the main obstacles to the engineering development of UMo monolithic plate fuels with Al-6061 cladding, and these are discussed herein.