Restructuring and redistribution of actinides in Am-MOX fuel during the first 24h of irradiation

24時間照射Am-MOX燃料の組織変化とアクチニド再分布挙動

田中 康介  ; 三輪 周平  ; 関根 伸一; 吉持 宏; 大林 弘 ; 小山 真一  

Tanaka, Kosuke; Miwa, Shuhei; Sekine, Shinichi; Yoshimochi, Hiroshi; Obayashi, Hiroshi; Koyama, Shinichi

高速実験炉「常陽」で短期照射されたマイナーアクチニド(MA)含有MOX燃料のうちAmを約3%及び5%含有したMOX燃料(Am-MOX燃料)において燃料組織観察及びEPMA分析を実施し、ペレット径方向のAm再分布挙動に及ぼすO/M比の影響を調査した。

In order to confirm the effect of minor actinide addition on irradiation behavior of MOX fuel pellets, 3% and 5% americium-containing MOX (Am-MOX) fuels were irradiated for 10 minutes at 43 kW/m and for 24 hours at 45 kW/m in the experimental fast reactor Joyo. Two nominal values of the fuel pellet oxygen-to-metal ratio (O/M), 1.95 and 1.98, were used as a test parameter. Emphasis was placed on the behavior of restructuring and redistribution of actinides which directly affect the fuel performance and the fuel design for fast reactors. Microstructural evolutions in the fuels were observed by optical microscopy and redistribution behavior of constituent elements was determined by mapping and quantitative point analyses of EPMA.