Remote injection casting process with reduced material loss for fabrication of metallic fuels

The remote injection casting process was developed using a high-capacity casting system in a mockup facility to secure the key technology for the fabrication of transmutation metallic fuels in hot cells. Seventy-eight fuel slugs fabricated simultaneously through remote injection casting were confirmed to satisfy the fabrication specification. The reaction characteristics of the coating candidates for the reusable crucible were investigated by using sessile drop tests with U-10wt%Zr-5wt%RE at 1450 °C for 1 h and LaYO3 showed the smallest interaction width. The improvement in the adhesion of Y2O3 coatings on the inner walls of the quartz mold was effective in reducing the reaction between the melt and the mold. The mechanical and chemical cleaning processes were investigated to remove the surface contamination layer of the melt residue for recycling. Both cleaning methods were effective with the mechanical treatment favored owing to the operations in hot cells. The remote injection casting process equipped with fuel loss control components developed in this work will fabricate transmutation fuels in hot cells.