Evaluation of sintering effects on SiC-incorporated UO2 kernels under Ar and Ar-4%H2 environments

Silicon carbide (SiC) is suggested as an oxygen getter in UO2 kernels used for tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuels and to prevent kernel migration during irradiation. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry analyses performed on sintered kernels verified that an internal gelation process can be used to incorporate SiC in UO2 fuel kernels. Even though the presence of UC in either argon (Ar) or Ar-4%H2 sintered samples suggested a lowering of the SiC up to 3.5-1.4 mol%, respectively, the presence of other silicon-related chemical phases indicates the preservation of silicon in the kernels during sintering process. UC formation was presumed to occur by two reactions. The first was by the reaction of SiC with its protective SiO2 oxide layer on SiC grains to produce volatile SiO and free carbon that subsequently reacted with UO2 to form UC. The second process was direct UO2 reaction with SiC grains to form SiO, CO, and UC. A slightly higher density and UC content were observed in the sample sintered in Ar-4%H2, but both atmospheres produced kernels with ∼95% of theoretical density. It is suggested that incorporating CO in the sintering gas could prevent UC formation and preserve the initial SiC content.