Process of Safely Compacting a Radio-Active Material Into a Solid Body

The invention relates to a process of safely compacting a radio-active material into a solid body, said material being presented in a container which is enclosed in a vacuum chamber beforehand, as disclosed in applicant's co-pending U.S. application, having Ser. No. 370,513, filed June 15, 1973.

It is known that the temperature of radio-active materials, emitting radiation energy, increases and that consequently they can be used as isotopic heat sources. Such an isotope is separated, as a rule, from fission products by means of chemical separation processes. The isotope to be separated is then bonded in a specific chemical compound, permitting the practical application of the radio-active isotope. As a rule the final product of the chemical separation processes applied, will be a product of average density, which however, is lower than the theoretical density of the chemical compound.

Beginning with a radio-active material in the form of a granulated or pulverous chemical mass, such mass will be densified for practical purposes to the highest possible degree, by cold and/or hot compacting, and as the case may be, by a subsequent sintering process into bodies which can be easily handled and displaced. It is a well-known fact that the energy-output per unit of volume is in proportion to the number of radio-active atoms per unit of volume. Consequently, in order to realize optimum energy-output, the density of the solid body should approximate as closely as possible, the theoretical density of the selected chemical compound.

The present improvement provides a process, by which the aforementioned aim can be realized in a safe and economically advantageous manner. For this purpose and as described in the above-mentioned co-pending application within "hot cell", the evacuated compressible container is placed within a second safety-container, whereafter the entire arrangement of containers is compacted. Due to such process the density of the radio-active granulated or pulverous mass will be increased to a density, amounting to more than 95% of the chemical compound's theoretical density.

According to the improvement, the second container constitutes a safety-buffer-element, preventing the spreading of the radio-active material during compacting. It is advantageous to fill up the second container with a high-pressure transmitting medium, preferably composed of a liquid metal; satisfactory results were obtained with liquid lead. It is also preferably to carry out the compacting of the container-arrangement under a pressure of at least 1000 bar and at a temperature above 1200.degree.C for certain period of time.

The improved process will now be described in detail with reference to the drawing, whereby the advantageous and special features of the improvement will become more apparent.

The drawing is a schematic representation of a container-arrangement as applied to the process in accordance with this invention. The container arrangement comprises a first container 1, containing a granulated or pulverous radio-active material 2, which has been pre-compacted, in a so-called hot-cell (a space protected against radio-activity, whereby the radio-active material can be handled from outside). At the same time the entire container arrangement and the charge thereof are exposed to mechanical vibrations for a given period of time, thereby already effecting a filling density of 50 - 60 per cent of the pulverous or granulated radio-active material. Such density can most certainly be obtained where the radio-active mass consists essentially of chemical compounds in the form of spherical granules. In this protected space of the hot-cell the container 1 made of a thin metal or plastic such as P.V.C., is closed within a porous cover 3, which then is welded according to the process described in said co-pending applications, preferably applying an electron-beam-welding apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein the welding of the porous cover 3 to the container-wall 4 can be effected. During this process a uniform welding bead 5 is formed between the cover 3 and the wall 4 in a short time while evacuating the container. Finally a pressure of 10.sup..sup.-1 torr or less is established in the container. The construction of the container 1 differs from the container disclosed in said co-pending application in that filling, pre-compacting, welding and simultaneous evacuation of the container of the present application are carried out in a space, protected against radio-activity, i.e. a hot cell. Thus, by closing the container 1, a body is produced filled with radio-active material within a hot-cell, a fact which is important for reasons of safety, etc.

Next the container 1 is placed, within the aforementioned hot-cell into a second container 6, which is made of a compressible material as well, and filled with a pressure-transmitting medium, e.g. a liquid metal 7. In space the container 6 will be closed by a cover 8 under the same conditions as the container 1, closing being effected by at 9 the cover 8 to the container wall 6, by means of an electron-beam-welding apparatus. To center the container 1 in container 6, easily deformable supporting means 10 and 11 are applied. The container-arrangement 1,6, schematically represented in the drawing, is then compacted in a hydraulic press, the containers being exposed simultaneously to a high pressure and high temperature (hot-compacting process) for a given period of time.

During compacting the second container functions as a safety-buffer-element, thereby preventing the leakage of radio-active material in the course of the hot-compacting process. Should there be leakage, for example, in container 6, i.e., leakage through the container 6 wall, compacting could take place only to a limited extend or not at all, since even a slight pressure-increase is followed by a pressure equalization between the container 6 and the pressure-room of the machine. Upon leakage of the container 1 that contains the radio-active material, liquid metal will seep through the leak into the container 1 during compacting. In this case the final product (the container arrangement or assembly 1,6) will not be compacted, because the pressure-transmitting medium, e.g. liquid metal 7, penetrated the container 1, thereby equalizing pressure.

After-compacting, the compacted radio-active material can be used as an isotopic heat-source by removing the container 1 from the container 6, whereafter the compacted container 1 can easily be handled as an isotopic heat-bar.