Calcined resin microsphere pelletization (CRMP): A novel process for sintered metallic oxide pellets

This study deals with the preliminary development of a powder-free process called calcined resin microsphere pelletization (CRMP) used for the fabrication of metallic oxide pellets. This dustless process could be used for the fabrication of mixed U1-yAmyO2 +/- r pellets dedicated to the transmutation of Am in fast neutron reactors. In this study, porous CeO2 microspheres, used as a surrogate of AmO2, were obtained after mineralization of cerium loaded ion exchange resin beads. These millimetric oxide microspheres were die-pressed into pellets which were then sintered under air to form ceramic pellets. Their densities approached 95% of theoretical density of CeO2 and a homogeneous microstructure was obtained by using optimized microspheres. The influence of calcination parameters on the characteristics of microspheres and on the properties of sintered pellets is discussed. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.