| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Microstructural, Mechanical, and Chemical Behavior of Solid Nuclear Fuel and Fuel-Cladding Interface II
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| Presentation Title |
Synthesis of Uranium Dinitride by Ammonolysis of Uranium Tetrafluoride |
| Author(s) |
Scarlett Widgeon Paisner, Hannah K Patenaude, Scott S Parker, Edward J Lahoda, Antoine J Claisse, Joshua T White |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Scarlett Widgeon Paisner |
| Abstract Scope |
Uranium mononitride (UN) is a promising fuel for light water reactors as well as microreactors due to the high uranium density and thermal conductivity. The primary method of synthesis for UN is carbothermic reduction nitridation, which requires vacuum conditions at high temperature and leaves oxygen and carbon impurities in the UN material. While this is feasible at the laboratory scale, such demanding synthesis conditions at the commercial scale are challenging, and therefore other synthesis routes are being considered, such as ammonolysis of uranium tetrafluoride (UF4). This talk will discuss synthesis conditions required to fabricate UN2 from UF4 under ammonia gas and to convert UN2 to UN by further heat treatment. The resulting powders will be analyzed by X-ray diffraction to determine the purity as a function of synthesis conditions. The impacts of successful synthesis may contribute greatly to the realization of commercial use of UN in future reactor designs. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Ceramics, Characterization |