THORIUM-URANIUM-233 OXIDE (KILOROD) FACILITY--ROD FABRICATION PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT

A fabrication facility with related process equipment has been constructed to fabricate fuel rods containing /sup 233/U and thorium oxide by the bulk oxide-vibratory compaction route and is now in operation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. While the initial motivation for the facility was to fabricate /sup 233/U-bearing 1/2-in.-dia x 46-in.-long Zircaloy-2 clad fuel rods for criticality experiments at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, sufficient flexibility has been incorporated into the facility to accommodate a variety of development work on a pilot-plant scale. The facility consists of a number of permanent alpha-tight cubicles which are shielded with 41/4-in. steel. The fabrication process is carried out remotely in these cubicles with the exception of several gloved-hand operations which occur where the dexterity required for manipulation exceeds that of the remote castle-type tongs. The fabrication equipment that has been installed in the facility performs the operations associated with oxide powder comminution and classification, vibratory compaction of oxide in fuel tubes, tube closure, fuel rod decontamination, and fuel rod inspection. Both the facility and the process equipment are described in detail, and detailed assembly drawings of the process equipment are included. (auth