Abstract Scope |
Uranium nitride (UN) is an attractive candidate to replace conventional uranium dioxide (UO2) nuclear fuel due to its higher uranium density, higher thermal conductivity, and greater mechanical performance when compared to UO2. However, fabricating pure and dense UN in a cost-effective manner requires the use of the carbothermic reduction prior to nitriding method (CTRN), which introduces carbon and oxygen impurities to the UN. It is not well understood what effect, if any, these impurities have on the thermophysical properties of bulk UN. In this study, UN powder was produced from UO2 via the CTRN method. The powder was conventionally sintered into discs which underwent laser flash analysis to determine their thermal diffusivity. The pellets were also analyzed for density, phase, microstructure, and oxygen content to determine the effects these have on the thermal diffusivity of UN. |