METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING NUCLEAR FUEL PELLET FOR FAST BREEDER REACTORS

• Main Authors: OKITA TAKATOSHI, SUZUKI MASAHIRO, YOSHIMOTO MASAKAZU, KIHARA YOSHIYUKI, KURITA TSUTOMU, TAKEUCHI KENTARO, SUDO KATSUO, ISHII KATSUNORI, TAKANO TATSUO, KATO YOSHIYUKI, KASHIMURA MOTOAKI, KIMURA YUICHI, ISOMAE HIDEMI, HAGA TETSUYA, MAKINO TAKAYOSHI, YAMAMOTO TAKUMA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.09.2010
• Subjects: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PHYSICS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an improved method for manufacturing nuclear fuel pellets for a fast breeder reactor which is suitable for mass production. SOLUTION: The method comprises the step of a mixing plutonium nitrate solution and a uranyl nitrate solution supplied from a reprocessing system and adjusting the ratio of Pu to U so that it can be a predetermined one, the step of transferring the adjusted mixed solution of Pu-U nitrate to a container and denitrating the mixed solution by irradiating it with microwaves to make denitrated powder before preparing MOX pelletized powder by roasting and reducing the denitrated powder in the same container, adding a binder to the roasted and reduced powder to conduct the pelletization in the same container and molding a certain quantity of the MOX pelletized powder required for pelletization into a predetermined shape of nuclear fuel pellets, and the step of sintering the molded nuclear fuel pellets and adjusting the oxygen-to-metal ratio. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT