Thermophysical properties of americium-containing barium plutonate

Tanaka, Kosuke  ; Sato, Isamu; Hirosawa, Takashi  ; Kurosaki, Ken*; Muta, Hiroaki*; Yamanaka, Shinsuke*

Polycrystalline specimens of americium-containing barium plutonate have been prepared by mixing the appropriate amounts of (PuAm)O and BaCO powders followed by reacting and sintering at 1600 K under the flowing gas atmosphere of dry-air. The sintered specimens had a single phase of orthorhombic perovskite structure and were crack-free. The elastic moduli were determined from the longitudinal and shear sound velocities. The Debye temperature was also determined from the sound velocities and lattice parameter measurements. The thermal conductivity was calculated from the measured density at room temperature, literature values of heat capacity, and thermal diffusivity measured by laser flash method in vacuum. The thermal conductivity of americium-containing barium plutonate was roughly independent of the temperature and was almost the same magnitude as that of BaPuO and BaUO.