Abstract
The dispersions of U–Nb–Zr alloy particles in aluminum were characterized in order to assess the applicability of this dispersion as research reactor fuel. Heat treatment revealed that the 9 wt% Nb alloy powder had, as expected, higher γ-phase stability that the 5 wt% Nb alloy powder. A lamellar structure consisting of an α-U phase and γ-phase was observed to start at the grain boundaries during heat treatment. The U–Nb–Zr alloy dispersion exhibited large volume increases during annealing when compared with similar experimental results for U 3Si, U 3Si 2 and U–Mo dispersion fuel systems. The reaction product (U,Nb,Zr)Al 3 forms preferentially by diffusion of aluminum in the α-U phase which, in turn, forms during the diffusion process as the metastable γ-phase decomposes.
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