Process for manufacturing nuclear fuel pellets based on (U,PU)02 with addition of an organic sulphur zwitterion compound

摘要

Prodn. of mixed U-Pu oxide nuclear fuel pellets involves lubricating, pelleting and sintering a powder charge. The powder charge is produced by: (a) grinding a first Pu-rich mixt. of UO2 and PuO2 powders contg. a solid sulphur-contg. organic product; (b) sieving through up to a 250 mu m mesh sieve; and (c) adding UO2 powder to obtain a second powder mixt. of the requisite specified Pu content, and mixing. The novelty is that the solid sulphur-contg. organic product, in step (a), is a zwitterion and mixing is a simple stirring operation. Also claimed is a similar process involving grinding a mixt. of UO2 and PuO2 powders, having the specified Pu content and contg. a solid sulphur-contg. organic product, to produce the powder charge. The novelty being that the solid sulphur-contg. organic product is a zwitterion. Pref., in both processes, the solid sulphur-contg. organic product is dimethyl-dodecylammoniopropane sulphonate (C17H37NO2S).