Fabrication technology for MOX fuel containing AmO by an in-cell remote process

Yoshimochi, Hiroshi; Ishi, Yohei; Seki, Takayuki*; Mondo, Kenji; Sekine, Shinichi*; Koyama, Shinichi  

An in-cell remote fabrication technique has been developed for MOX fuel pellets containing 3 and 5% americium (Am-MOX) at the Alpha-gamma Facility (AGF) in O-arai Engineering Center. A series of fuel pellet and the pin fabrication apparatuses were systematically installed in hot cell to make fabrication flow easier. After cold run and some modifications, they were remotely controlled from a panel in the operation room outside the hot cell as much as possible. From a preliminary UO2 pellet test and consequently plutonium pellet fabrication run, actual range of ball milling time, pressing and sintering condition were focused for Am-MOX pellet fabrication. As the next step, moisturized atmosphere was found out to remove the heterogeneity structure of 5% Am-MOX pellet. Finally, we established an optimized fabrication condition of 5% Am-MOX pellet sintered at 1700C for 3h in an atmosphere of 5% H2-95% Ar with total moisture of 2000 ppm. Moreover it is important that the atmosphere has to be changed to dry gas at 800C during cool down.