Published 1991 | Version v1
Miscellaneous

Production and fabrication of thorium fuels at BARC

  • 1. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Atomic Fuels Div.

Description

Thorium oxide can be consolidated by conventional powder metallurgy technique of compaction and sintering. Thorium oxide is a difficult material to sinter and even at a sintering temperature of 2000degC, the density achievable is not > 80% T.D. Hence, activated sintering with the use of additives is resorted to for achieving densities > 90% T.D. Sinterability of thoria powders obtained from different compounds such as hydroxide, hydrocarbonate, tannate, oxalate etc. has been thoroughly investigated. The effect of different additives such as CaO, CaF2, MgO, Nb2O5 on the sinterability of thoria has been extensively studied. With the addition of 0.25% Nb2O5, sintering temperature can be brought down to as low as 1150deg-1200degC. High density thoria pellets have been fabricated for use in CIRUS, DHRUVA, FBTR, PHWRs and Experimental Fission/Fusion Hybrid Systems. (author). 6 refs., 8 figs

Additional details

Publishing Information

Publisher
Indian Nuclear Society.
Imprint Place
Bombay (India)
Imprint Title
Proceedings of the Indo-Japan seminar on thorium utilization (held at Bombay during December 10-13, 1990)
Imprint Pagination
300 p.
Journal Page Range
p. 99-104.
Report number
INIS-mf--13516

Conference

Title
Indo-Japan seminar on thorium utilization.
Dates
10-13 Dec 1990.
Place
Bombay (India).