This report describes the design and construction of equipment and the development of methods for multiple mold, centrifugal casting of reactor fuel slugs. Advantages of the centrifugal casting method over the conventional fabrication methods were found to be (l) fewer operations, (z) fewer and more easily recovered residues, (3) less expensive equipment, and (4) the production of fuel slugs in shapes and in alloys not well adapted to other methods of manufacture. The method consisted of vacuum melting the alloy in stoppered crucibles and bottom pouring into a spinning rotor carrying 16 radially arranged coppermolds. The castings so produced were used without further processing, except for cropping the sprue end to obtain the specified length. ' The method was found particularly adaptable to the production of enriched uranium-2w/o zirconium alloy fuel slugs for the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR). Theascast surfaces were satisfactory for use in the NaK-bonded fuel rods, and the as-cast 2w/o zirconium alloy slugs were found to be more dimensionally stable than slugs fabricated by conventional methods.

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x^t^ , ^< ^^ im^'^'^^^ AUG. 27.1964 THE REMOTE REFABRICATION OF REACTOR FUELS (a) hy .0)