Characteristics of U and U-7wtMo Polycrystalline Foils Cast by Alternative Fabrication Method

摘要

As the uranium foils for Mo-99 irradiation target and the U-7wt.%Mo foils for research reactor fuel can be conventionally fabricated by a rolling method at a laboratory scale, but not yet at a commercialized scale due to significant problems in productivity and economic efficiency, an attention has shifted to new improved method. Under these circumstances, an alternative fabrication method have been investigated using a single cooling-roll casting method, in order to produce a radioisotope ~(99)Mo, the parent nuclide of ~(99m)Tc, and a very-high-density monolithic fuel for high performance research reactors. Polycrystalline uranium and U-7wt.%Mo foils with a thickness range of 100 to 250 μm and a width of 50 mm are continuously fabricated, by adjusting the process parameters of a single cooling-roll casting method. The uranium foils and the U-7wt.%Mo foils have fine polycrystalline grains below 10 μm in size with the α-U phase and the γ-U respectively, due to rapid solidification effect from a melt.