Combustion synthesis of urania-thoria solid solutions

The feasibility of the combustion synthesis using citric acid as the fuel was studied in order to prepare homogeneous mixture of uranium oxide-thorium oxide feed powder that could be cold compacted (without binder or lubricant) and sintered to high density (≥ 94% theoretical density) at relatively lower temperatures (≤ 1573 K). The powders were characterized for their carbon content, specific surface area, particle size distribution and bulk density. The crystallite size of the powders was determined by x-ray line-broadening technique. The microstructure and surface morphology of the powders were studied by using scanning electron microscopy. The reactivity of the calcined powders was determined by measuring the density of the sintered compacts prepared from them. (author)