Self-irradiation effect on thermal conductivity of (Pu0.91Cm0.09)O2

To clarify the dependence of thermal conductivity on storage time of MA containing oxide fuel, the thermal diffusivity of (Pu0.91Cm0.09)O-2 was measured at 473, 523 and 573 K by a laser flash method using the sample stored for 48, 264, 504, and. 960 h. The heat capacity was measured by a drop calorimetry to derive the thermal conductivity. It was confirmed that the degradation of the thermal conductivity was attributed to the accumulation of lattice defects caused by self-irradiation, because the dependence of thermal conductivity on storage time could be approximated by the equation used for self-irradiation lattice expansion model. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.