Fuel description
Plutonium fuel fabrication for PWRs and BWRs

PuO₂ powder comes from the irradiated fuel processing plant, where it is packaged in sealed cans, each containing around 3 kg of powder. It is fully characterized, physically, chemically and isotopically.

The UO₂ powders used to date are all wet-processed from depleted or natural uranium U₃O₈. Two processes are used:

• "AUC" for powders from Siemens (no longer in production) or ABB;

• "ADU" for powders produced at Pierrelatte (COGEMA) in the TU2 workshop.

This choice is linked to the good "castability" of wet-process powders, whereas dry-process powders, the most widespread process used for UO₂ fuels, are not castable without prior granulation...