Speaker
Description
Nuclear fuel pellets are manufactured by sintering UO2 with addition of U3O8 to control the microstructure and porosity. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of morphology and grain size of the U3O8 powder on the sintering. To assess the presence of chemical interactions between the two uranium oxides, the early stages of sintering are studied using a combination of High-Temperature-XRD and TGA measurements. In addition, using different UO2 oxidation cycles, U3O8 powders are produced with “lamellar”, “dense”, and “fine granular” morphologies to study their effects on the sintering process. Dilatometric analyses and interrupted sintering experiments followed by microstructural observations using EBSD are used to determine a sintering map describing the evolution of density, grain and pores sizes as the sintering thermal cycle progresses. Correlating these data with kinetic laws will enable the identification of the involved sintering mechanisms. Ultimately, these results will help establishing the characteristics that make U3O8 more efficient in an industrial context.
| Professional Status of the Speaker | Doctoral or Master Student |
|---|---|
| Invitation letter for visa | No |
| Interest in submitting a paper in a special issue of | No interest |
