Additive Manufacturing of Uranium Dioxide Nuclear Fuel Pellets

PROJECT NUMBER: 82

AUTHOR: Anastasia Baltakowycz, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | MENTOR: Jeffrey King, Nuclear Science and Engineering

ABSTRACT

—

The use of additive manufacturing to accurately and reliably produce nuclear fuel pellets could improve the safety and economics of future nuclear power plants. Fuel pellets contain the fissile material necessary for sustaining the nuclear chain reaction, which provides the energy for nuclear power generation. Traditional fuel pellet manufacturing methods sinter uranium dioxide into uniform cylindrical geometries, which are ground to narrow tolerances, resulting in the production of radioactive dust. Introducing a fuel pellet manufacturing method that eliminates the grinding process would decrease the amount of airborne radioactive material produced and also reduce waste. This poster represents the first year of a multi-year project to establish additive nuclear fuel manufacturing methods based on surrogate materials, such as commercial ceramic resins and ceria powders. The project will build up to the production of additively manufactured uranium dioxide fuel pellets. Project work this year consisted of the assembly and testing of a laser-based stereolithographic printer, using commercial plastic resin. The next year of the project will focus on modifying the printer to produce ceramic parts using commercially available ceramic resins.

VISUAL PRESENTATION

—

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

—

Anastasia Baltes is a first year student in the Metallurgical & Materials Engineering department at the Colorado School of Mines, under Dr. Jeffrey King of the Nuclear Science & Engineering department. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering and is working towards getting into graduate school for a PhD in Nuclear Engineering. She has been a part of the King Research Group since her first semester in college, and her research focuses on the additive manufacturing of nuclear materials. She has interests in metallurgy, programming, and has also taken part in projects involving x-ray generation and imaging.

Sponsored by Phillips 66