Low-temperature sintering of (U,Pu)O2 MOX in mild oxidative conditions

Jacobus Boshoven; Jean François Vigier; Philipp Pöml; Abibatou Ndiaye; Bertrand Morel; Rudy J.M. Konings; Karin Popa; Marco Cologna

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800

Low-temperature sintering of (U,Pu)O2 MOX in mild oxidative conditions

Jacobus Boshoven, Jean François Vigier, Philipp Pöml, Abibatou Ndiaye, Bertrand Morel, Rudy J.M. Konings, Karin Popa^*, Marco Cologna^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

RST/Reactor Physics and Nuclear Materials

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Abstract

We compare typical reductive sintering conditions for U, Pu mixed oxides (4 h at 1700 °C in Ar/6 % H2 + 1200 ppm H2O) with lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions (2 h at 1200 °C in CO/CO2 = 1/9) and report on the resulting microstructures and homogeneity. We show that lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions, without cover gas change, can give close-to stoichiometric, crack-free MOX pellets with a relative density of ∼ 95 %, and we propose ways to improve the homogenisations of PuO2 and UO2 and increase the grain size.

Original language	English
Article number	155800
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Nuclear Materials
Volume	610
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800
Publication status	Published - 2025

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Publisher Copyright:
© 2025

Keywords

Diffusion
MOX
Nuclear fuel
Sintering

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10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800

1-s2.0-S0022311525001953-mainFinal published version, 6.02 MBLicence: CC BY

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title = "Low-temperature sintering of (U,Pu)O2 MOX in mild oxidative conditions",

abstract = "We compare typical reductive sintering conditions for U, Pu mixed oxides (4 h at 1700 °C in Ar/6 % H2 + 1200 ppm H2O) with lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions (2 h at 1200 °C in CO/CO2 = 1/9) and report on the resulting microstructures and homogeneity. We show that lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions, without cover gas change, can give close-to stoichiometric, crack-free MOX pellets with a relative density of ∼ 95 %, and we propose ways to improve the homogenisations of PuO2 and UO2 and increase the grain size.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800",

language = "English",

volume = "610",

journal = "Journal of Nuclear Materials",

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T1 - Low-temperature sintering of (U,Pu)O2 MOX in mild oxidative conditions

AU - Boshoven, Jacobus

AU - Vigier, Jean François

AU - Pöml, Philipp

AU - Ndiaye, Abibatou

AU - Morel, Bertrand

AU - Konings, Rudy J.M.

AU - Popa, Karin

AU - Cologna, Marco

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - We compare typical reductive sintering conditions for U, Pu mixed oxides (4 h at 1700 °C in Ar/6 % H2 + 1200 ppm H2O) with lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions (2 h at 1200 °C in CO/CO2 = 1/9) and report on the resulting microstructures and homogeneity. We show that lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions, without cover gas change, can give close-to stoichiometric, crack-free MOX pellets with a relative density of ∼ 95 %, and we propose ways to improve the homogenisations of PuO2 and UO2 and increase the grain size.

AB - We compare typical reductive sintering conditions for U, Pu mixed oxides (4 h at 1700 °C in Ar/6 % H2 + 1200 ppm H2O) with lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions (2 h at 1200 °C in CO/CO2 = 1/9) and report on the resulting microstructures and homogeneity. We show that lower temperature and mildly oxidative conditions, without cover gas change, can give close-to stoichiometric, crack-free MOX pellets with a relative density of ∼ 95 %, and we propose ways to improve the homogenisations of PuO2 and UO2 and increase the grain size.

KW - Diffusion

KW - MOX

KW - Nuclear fuel

KW - Sintering

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U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800

DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2025.155800

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105001723282

SN - 0022-3115

VL - 610

JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials

JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials

M1 - 155800

ER -

Low-temperature sintering of (U,Pu)O2 MOX in mild oxidative conditions

Abstract

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