Application of gel-Co-conversion for TRU (Pu, Np, Am) fuel and target preparation

In the fabrication of fuel containing transuranium (TRU) elements, flow sheets and techniques which allow a shielded and/or remote fabrication will probably need to be applied. One approach, which has been demonstrated on the laboratory and semi prototype scale, is the wet fabrication route of coprecipitation of the matrix element uranium mixed with plutonium to form dense spherical particles or to produce hybrid pellets made from pressed gel microspheres. The ceramic material produced holds the TRU-elements homogeneously distributed in the matrix. In conjunction with the Departement d'Etudes des Combustibles of the French Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA-DEC) in Cadarache, the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland is further developing a mixed nitride ceramic and mixed oxide with high concentrations (up to 50%) of plutonium with the aim of a joint irradiation test of transuranium elements in the French PHENIX reactor. 6 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs