UK-Russia Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership

Technology Roadshow

Seversk

Zirconium diboride sputtering target

Title

Development of a prototype Zirconium Diboride sputtering target (ZrB2) for the manufacture of nuclear fuel with burnable absorber coatings.

Objectives

The objective of this project is to identify and develop methods of manufacture and to produce prototypes of Zirconium Diboride sputtering targets (naturally enriched boron will be used to produce these prototypes, but the eventual objective is to manufacture targets made with enriched boron).

Summary

This project, based in the Siberian Chemical Kombinat (SCK), located in the Closed Nuclear City of Seversk, is to develop the technology required to enable the Kombinat to manufacture a key intermediate in the production of enhanced-performance nuclear fuel for power reactors. The ultimate objective of this work is to enable manufacturers of nuclear fuel to provide their customers with a product which uses fuel more efficiently. CNCP is funding an initial research and development programme aimed at assessing various technical options for the manufacture of ZrB2 targets at SCK and providing the data for the full technical and economic assessment of a follow-on project to construct a plant at SCK to address this market.
The research is required to permit the manufacture of zirconium diboride powder which meets quality requirements (levels of impurities, composition) and which has a composition that allows it to be sintered efficiently. Development of a sintering technique which will allow the manufacturer to achieve the required target density is also a part of the research programme. If successful, the results of this work could benefit nuclear power plants in the US, Great Britain, Russia and elsewhere.