Influence of heating method on size and morphology of metallic oxide powder synthesized from metallic nitrate solution

Segawa, Tomoomi ; Fukasawa, Tomonori*; Yamada, Yoshikazu ; Suzuki, Masahiro ; Yoshida, Hideto*; Fukui, Kunihiro*

A mixed solution of uranyl nitrate and plutonium nitrate is converted to MOX raw powder by the microwave heating de-nitration method in nuclear reprocessing. Copper oxide synthesized by heating de-nitration was used as a model for the de-nitration process. The microwave heating method (MW) and infrared heating method (IR) were used, and how they and their heating rate influence the obtained particle morphology and size were investigated. The particles obtained by the MW and IR were sufficiently similar in the surface morphology and the mass median diameter was decreased by the increased heating rate. The mass median diameters by the MW were the heating rate and smaller than those obtained by IR. The particle size distribution of the particle obtained by the MW was broader than that by the IR. The relationship of the temperature distribution and particle size distribution by the MW was discussed by the numerical simulation.