Nitride fuel pellets fabrication tests (1); UN Pellets tests

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Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Nitride fuel development has been done as one of the feasibility study of advanced nuclear fuel in PFDF (Plutonium Fuel Development Facility) Tokai PNC. UN tests were performed to check fabrication equipments and as pretests for MN tests in 19951996. Some problems for a reducing furnace and a sintering furnace were solved. Finally high density single phase UN pellets (93.0% TD) were successfully obtained. (U, Pu)N tests were started on December 1996. Impurity analysis for the products on final stage of UN tests was not performed because all tests in PFDF were stopped relating to an accident in TRP (Tokai Reprocessing Plant). We expect that nitrogen content and oxygen impurity content of the UN are not so different from the analytical value of (U, Pu)N products which were fabricated just after final UN tests. They are N=5.51% and 0=0.11|%. Carbon impurity was not analyzed for both UN and (U,Pu)N.