Study of the Interaction Between U₃Si₂/Al in Dispersion Plates at the End of the Fabrication Process

Abstract

Because of their good behavior under irradiation, fuel elements based on U₃Si₂ particles dispersed in an Al matrix have been used to convert to low-enriched uranium in a large number of research reactors. This behavior is extended to any compound grown by interdiffusion between silicide and Al during the fabrication process.

In this work, two plates fabricated with U₃Si₂ particles dispersed in an Al matrix were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopies, wave length dispersive microanalysis, and X-ray diffraction after the fabrication process. The results show that U(Al,Si)₃ together with another phase with the same crystalline structure as U₃Si₂ but modified cell volume was formed.

A detailed analysis of fuel elements based on U₃Si₂ is considered very useful to be applied when going into greater depth in the frame of a U(Mo) qualification program.

Keywords:

• Research reactors
• fuel elements
• high-density fuels

Acknowledgments

The authors want to thank the technical staff of Gerencia Materiales-GAEN-CNEA and Laboratorio de Difracción de Rayos X-Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada-GAIyANN-CNEA for their support. This work was partially financed by Project PICT-2010-1351, Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (Argentina), FONCyT.