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 Title: |
US4367184:
Mixed uranium dicarbide and uranium dioxide microspheres and process of making same
[ Derwent Title ]
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
Stinton, David P.; Knoxville, TN
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| Assignee: |
The United States of America as represented by the Department of Energy, Washington, DC
other patents from UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (597195) (approx. 6,712)
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| Published / Filed: |
1983-01-04
/ 1980-12-17
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| Application Number: |
US1980000217356
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
G21C 3/62;
Core:
G21C 3/42;
IPC-7:
C09K 3/00;
G21C 21/00;
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| ECLA Code: |
G21C3/62;
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| U.S. Class: |
Current:
264/000.5;
252/636;
252/638;
252/639;
976/DIG.095;
Original:
264/000.5;
252/636;
252/638;
252/639;
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| Field of Search: |
252/636,637,638,639,642
264/0.5
376/411
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| Government Interest: |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention, which was made under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, relates in general to nuclear reactor fuel and a method for manufacturing the same, and more specifically the invention provides a method for making nuclear fuel microspheres having a composition and density not heretofore attainable.
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| Priority Number: |
| 1980-12-17 |
US1980000217356 |
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| Abstract: |
Nuclear fuel microspheres are made by sintering microspheres containing uranium dioxide and uncombined carbon in a 1 mole percent carbon monoxide/99 mole percent argon atmosphere at 1550 DEG C. and then sintering the microspheres in a 3 mole percent carbon monoxide/97 mole percent argon atmosphere at the same temperature.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Grant, Edwin D. ;
Hamel, Stephen D. ;
Besha, Richard G. ;
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Sebastian, Leland A.;
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| Maintenance Status: |
E3 Expired Check current status
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
Show legal status actions
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| Family: |
None
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First Claim:
Show all 5 claims |
I claim:
1. A process for forming nuclear reactor fuel comprising the steps of:
- sintering microspheres containing uranium dioxide and free carbon in an atmosphere consisting essentially of an inert gas and carbon monoxide at such carbon monoxide concentration and at such temperature that high density microspheres consisting essentially of uranium dioxide and uranium oxycarbide are formed; and
- sintering said uranium dioxide/uranium oxycarbide microspheres in an atmosphere consisting essentially of an inert gas and carbon monoxide at such carbon monoxide concentration and at such temperature that microspheres having a density of about 10.2 to 11.0 g/cm3 and consisting essentially of about 1-30 mole percent uranium dicarbide and 70-99 mole percent uranium dioxide are formed.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 2 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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| Foreign References: |
None
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| Other References: |
The Application of Thermochemical Principles to the Production of Nuclear el Materials, pp. 79 to 86, published by G. R. Chilton in 1976 as special publication No. 30 of The Chemical Society, Burlington House, London, England.
Hennecke et al., Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 38, 1971, pp. 285 to 291.
The Kema U(YI) Process for the Production of UO2 Microspheres published by J. Kanij et al., Presented at the IAEA Panel on Sol-gel Processes for Fuel Fabrication, Vienna, May 21 to 24, 1973, 13 pages.
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