Development of Am-dispersed MgO target; Fabrication and characterization of simulated Am-dispersed MgO target

Miwa, Shuhei  ; Osaka, Masahiko  ; Tachi, Yoshiaki  ; Tanaka, Kenya

In the technology for transmutation of Minor Actinides (MAs) to stable and short-lived nuclides by irradiation in the reactor, one promising candidate for the MA-containing ceramic form is a composite of MA compound and inert matrix, so called "target". In this study, surrogate target which is the combination of CeO as a substitution of (Pu, Am)O with MgO as the inert matrix is fabricated by a simple process based on commercial manufacturing technology for the present fuel. Structural analyses are performed by XRD, SEM observation and EDS analysis. From the results of analysis, the targets with high density, high homogenous dispersion of sphere, non reaction phase are obtained. Thermal stability and thermal conductivity of fabricated target are investigated. Dissolubility to nitride solution, thermal stability and thermal conductivity of fabricated target are investigated.