Fast Reactors and Accelerator Driven Systems Knowledge Base

Conference Article: Mononitride U-Pu mixed fuel and its electrochemical reprocessing in molten salts

B.D. Rogozkin, N.V. Stepennova, Yu.E. Fedorov, O.N. Dubrovin, M.G. Shishkov, O.A. Alekseev, T.D. Loushnikova, S.I. Balakireva, V.V. Shentiakov

Abstract

A synthesis process of mixed U–Pu mononitride fuel from initial oxides and alloys has demonstrated its promising nature and feasibility of achieving low contents of oxygen and carbon. The UPuN cores with 92 – 94% TD was fabricated by compacting and sintering at 1600 – 1700oC, using the mononitride produced by a carbothermal method from oxides. It has shown that mononitride fuel is compatible with ferritic-martensitic steels at 1200 – 1300oC for 5 hours. It has also demonstrated that mononitride fuel has a high radiation resistance and a good compatibility with structure materials under irradiation in BR-10 and BOR-60 fast reactors. A compact electrochemical process for nitride fuel reprocessing with a significant removal of fission products and a small amount of high-level wastes has been developed and demonstrated its feasibility to develop a new nitrides synthesis process for establishing a safe closed fuel cycle.

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key words: Fast Neutron Spectrum Systems, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
Advisory Group Meeting on “Design and Performance of Reactor and Sub-critical Blanket Systems with Lead and Lead-Bismuth as Coolant and/or Target Material” , Moscow, Russian Federation, 23-27 October 2000
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)
IAEA-TECDOC--1348, pp:64-76