Preparation of High Density Uranium Nitride and Uranium Carbonitride Fuel Pellets

Distribution of uranium in rats implanted with depleted uranium pellets.

During the Persian Gulf War, soldiers were injured with depleted uranium (DU) fragments. To assess the potential health risks associated with chronic exposure to DU, Sprague Dawley rats were surgically implanted with DU pellets at 3 dose levels (low, medium and high). Biologically inert tantalum (Ta) pellets were used as controls. At 1 day and 6, 12, and 18 months after implantation, the rats w...

Oxidative ammonolysis of uranium(IV) fluorides to uranium(VI) nitride

Actinide nitrides, in particular UN, are being considered as fuel types for advanced reactor systems. Here, we demonstrate a low-temperature synthesis route on uranium that could be developed into a commercial fabrication process for UN and mixed actinide nitride fuels. UN was successfully synthesized from UO2 by first reacting with NH4HF2 in a ball mill at 20 C to form tetravalent ammonium ura...

Thermal -Hidraolyc Study of Trr Core in Fuel Conversion Frome Highly Enriched Uranium to Low Enriched Uranium Fuel (RESEARCH NOTES)

Preparation of ingots of uranium-niobium alloy

A study was made of the preparation of a uranium 10 w/o niobium alloy by the bomb reduction of a suitable form of niobium and uranium tetrafluoride with calcium. A compound with a probable formula of Na2NbOF5 proved to be most satisfactory as the source of niobium. High yields and good metal-slag separations were obtained. Chemical analysis and density determinations showed the composition to b...

Towards high-valent uranium compounds from metallacyclic uranium(IV) precursors.

Treatment of [NaUN*(C,N)(2)] [N* = N(SiMe(3))(2); C,N = CH(2)SiMe(2)N(SiMe(3))] with I(2) led to the formation of the larger metallacycle [UN*(N{SiMe(3)}SiMe(2)CH(2)CH(2)SiMe(2)N{SiMe(3)})I] resulting from U-C cleavage and C-C coupling. Reaction of [NaUN*(O,N)(2)] [O,N = OC(=CH(2))SiMe(2)N(SiMe(3))] with I(2) afforded the U(V) complex [Na{UN*(O,N)(2)}(2)(μ-I)] which was converted into the monon...