Fabrication of dense (Th,U)O2 pellets through microspheres impregnation technique

ThO2 microspheres were prepared by internal gelation process using a pre-boiled hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), urea solution. The microspheres were characterized with respect to tap density, specific surface area and pore size distribution. An indigenously designed and fabricated apparatus was used for the impregnation of uranium in thoria microspheres. The loading of uranium was found to vary with the concentration of uranyl nitrate solution, operational vacuum and the time of impregnation. These process conditions were optimized to obtain soft (Th,U)O2 microspheres containing 3–4 mol% of uranium, which are readily amenable for pelletization. The green pellets could be sintered to ∼96% of T.D. by heating in air up to 1350 °C for a period of 2–4 h. The polished surface of the fractured pellets showed a smooth surface without any berry structure. The shrinkage behaviour of the pellets was also studied in air using a dilatometer. The SEM studies of the pellets indicated a uniform microstructure with average grain size of 1 μm. The elemental scanning by the EDX method showed the uniform distribution of uranium in the microspheres and pellets.