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Colin Judge: Testing structural materials in Idaho’s newest hot cell facility
Idaho National Laboratory’s newest facility—the Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL)—sits across the road from the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF), which started operating in 1975. SPL will host the first new hot cells at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) in 50 years, giving INL researchers and partners new flexibility to test the structural properties of irradiated materials fresh from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) or from a partner’s facility.
Materials meant to withstand extreme conditions in fission or fusion power plants must be tested under similar conditions and pushed past their breaking points so performance and limitations can be understood and improved. Once irradiated, materials samples can be cut down to size in SPL and packaged for testing in other facilities at INL or other national laboratories, commercial labs, or universities. But they can also be subjected to extreme thermal or corrosive conditions and mechanical testing right in SPL, explains Colin Judge, who, as INL’s division director for nuclear materials performance, oversees SPL and other facilities at the MFC.
SPL won’t go “hot” until January 2026, but Judge spoke with NN staff writer Susan Gallier about its capabilities as his team was moving instruments into the new facility.
Masaki Kurata, Noboru Yahagi, Shinichi Kitawaki, Akira Nakayoshi, Mineo Fukushima
Nuclear Technology | Volume 164 | Number 3 | December 2008 | Pages 433-441
Technical Paper | Reprocessing | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A4036
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Previous studies for electrochemical reduction using uranium oxide have shown that reduction was completed within several tens of hours when particles or powders of oxide were used for the cathode material. In the case of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel prepared for fast reactors, there are two significant differences with respect to uranium oxide fuel for light water reactors. The MOX fuel contains ~30% Pu and a small amount of Am. The density of the uranium oxide pellet and MOX pellet is ~98% and ~85% with respect to theoretical values, respectively. These differences decrease the electroconductivity of oxide and the reaction rate. Also, the behavior of transuranic elements has not been certified. In the present study, electrochemical reduction of MOX pellets was performed by setting the pellets directly on the cathode in a molten lithium chloride bath. Reduction was completed after ~15 h, even when using MOX pellets. This value compares closely to the previous values for uranium oxide particles or powders. Current efficiency was varied at ~60%, which is slightly higher than in the previous study. The lower density of MOX allows better diffusion of the molten salt into the pellet and contributes to efficient electrolysis. Concerning actinide behavior during electrolysis, the uranium and plutonium concentrations in the molten salt bath were lower than their detection limits. Although a small amount of americium was dissolved in the molten salt bath and gradually accumulated, the amount was <1% with respect to the initial amount. The oxygen concentration in the molten salt decreased gradually during electrolysis. These variations in the salt hardly affected the current efficiency and the actinide recovery ratio. These observations indicate that the electrochemical reduction of MOX pellets is applicable to industrial processes.