Agip Nucleare, S.p.a.

Enichem S.p.a

Temav S.p.a.

Giovanni Bezzi

Mauro Zanardi

Ego Pauluzzi

Guido Cogliati

Luigi Contursi

Giovanni Martignani

Alessandro Facchini

Giordano Beghelli

Michele Pastore

A process for preparing fine aluminium nitride (AlN) powder is described using an inorganic flocculant based on polyaluminium chloride (PAC) having the following structural formula:

Process for preparing fine aluminum nitride powder from an inorganic

A process for the preparation of monoliths of aerogels of metal oxides, which aerogel is either constituted by one single oxide, or is constituted by a mixture of oxides, is disclosed, which process consists of the following operating steps:

Process for preparing monoliths of aerogels of metal oxides

A method is disclosed for producing solid materials in form of microspheres or spherules for a number of applications, such as nuclear fuel, catalyst, fluid beds for fluidization and other like applications. An inert gas shield is provided to surround the droplets of liquid from which the microspheres shall be originated so as to prevent a premature reaction of such droplets with the reactive gas. Provision is made for renewing the braking foam placed over the liquid reactive bath and the reactive gas is supplied in the form of a blade-like stream so as to improve the contact time and intensity between the droplets and the reactive gas.

Method of producing microspheres by vibrations

An apparatus is disclosed for producing solid materials in form of microspheres or spherules for a number of applications, such as nuclear fuel, catalyst, fluid beds for fluidization and other like applications. An inert gas shield is provided to surround the droplets of liquid from which the microspheres shall be originated so as to prevent a premature reaction of such droplets with the reaction gas. Provision is made for renewing the braking foam placed over the liquid reactive bath and the reactive gas is supplied in the form of a blade-like stream so as to improve the contact time and intensity between the droplets and the reactive gas.

Producing microspheres by vibrations

A process for the production of microspheres of thorium oxide, uranium oxide or plutonium oxide and mixtures thereof, containing carbon. The microspheres are prepared by first forming an aqueous alkaline solution of a salt of said metals which will precipitate to a solid form in a concentrated alkaline medium together with an alkaline polymerizable organic monomer and carbon, thereafter dripping this solution into a concentrated alkaline medium wherein metal hydroxide is precipitated out and said monomers polymerized to thereby form said microspheres. The precipitated metal compounds with polymerized monomer and carbon are washed to remove unwanted ions and dried by various methods such as air currents, infrared lamps, high frequency microwaves or preferably by azeotropic distillation whereby the washed particles are dispersed in an organic liquid immiscible with water which is then boiled off. Simple liquids include 1,1,1-trichloroethane, carbontetrachloride and xylene. The particles are then subjected to thermal treatments which vary according to the particular composition and the properties required in the final product. The microspheres obtained according to the process of the invention possess excellent properties of high density, good homogeneity, and high tensile strength and are useful as fuel for high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors. In a preferred embodiment, uranyl nitrate is mixed with acrolein in dilute ammonia solution to which carbon is added and the solution dripped into a concentrated alkaline medium, and the microspheres thereby formed washed with water, dried by azeotropic distillation with an organic liquid, and thermally cycled.

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Bagnacavallo, Italy

Giovanni Bezzi