Vaporisation of Candidate Nuclear Fuels and Targets for Transmutation of Minor Actinides

摘要

The thermodynamic stability and behaviour at high temperature of candidate fuels and targets for transmutation of minor actinides has been investigated. Zirconia-based solid solution, MgO-based CERCER and molybdenum-based CERMET fuels containing Pu and Am were annealed up to 2700 K in a Knudsen-cell coupled with a quadrupole mass-spectrometer, to measure their vapour pressure and vapour composition. The results reveal that the vaporisation of the actinides species is not only determined by the thermodynamics of the system but partially related to the nature of the inert matrix of the sample.