Non Oxide Ceramic Nuclear Fuels
Mixed oxide fuel or mox is nuclear fuel made from reprocessed plutonium and uranium mox fuel for pu reduction.
Non oxide ceramic nuclear fuels. Operational by 2022 source. World nuclear association nuclear fuel report 2019 table 8 7 updated. It consists of depleted uranium about 0 2 u 235 large amounts of which are left over from the enrichment of uranium and plutonium oxide that. Ceramic fuels other than oxides have the advantage of high heat conductivities and melting points but they are more prone to swelling than oxide fuels and are not understood as well.
Renewed interest in fast nuclear reactors is creating a need for better understanding of fission gas bubble behavior in non oxide fuels to. Non oxide ceramic fuel po wders can be fabricated by a carbothermic reduction 4 of the oxide p owders or the nitriding or carbonization of metal uranium 5. Information from the world nuclear association the global organization that provides information on nuclear power nuclear energy nuclear fuel mox production and other nuclear fuel cycle aspects. In their nuclear related functions ceramics are of major importance.
Since the beginning of nuclear power generation oxide ceramics based on the fissionable metals uranium and plutonium have been made into highly reliable fuel pellets for both water cooled and. Nonoxide ceramic nuclear fuels. Because oxide ceramics are not always well suited to use in extreme environments or as a replacement in applications required to bear significant loads ceramic non oxides respond to this need. Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines.
The oxide ceramic fuel uo2 has already supplanted ceramics as nuclear reactor fuels uranium metal in most metal clad fuel designs and is being used in large tonnages in power reactors. Nuclear ceramics ceramic materials employed in the generation of nuclear power and in the disposal of radioactive nuclear wastes.