Development and installation of thermal diffusivity measurement apparatus for minor actinide compounds (Contract research)

Nishi, Tsuyoshi; Takano, Masahide ; Ito, Akinori; Akabori, Mitsuo; Minato, Kazuo ; Kizaki, Minoru

An apparatus has been developed to measure the thermal diffusivities of minor actinide (MA) compounds. By installing the laser flash apparatus in a glove box with highly purified inert gas atmosphere, the thermal diffusivities measurement of MA compounds of -decay nuclides was enabled. A new sample holder has been also developed to measure the thermal diffusivities of very small samples. The performance of this new apparatus was confirmed by measuring the thermal diffusivities of small samples of tantalum, nickel and cerium oxides. The thermal diffusivity values obtained in this work agreed well with the literature values and the values measured by a conventional thermal diffusivities measurement apparatus. Accordingly, this apparatus was found to be useful for thermal diffusivities measurement of MA compounds.