Concept of Carbide Compaction of Mixed Uranium-Plutonium Fuel

The Fermi level in uranium dioxide with band gap ε g = 2.1 eV is a logarithmic identifier of the oxidation state of the dioxide and serves as a measure of the electron occupation of the local energy levels in the band gap. An impurity additive in the form of a trivalent metal is required in order to transfer the dioxide into a stable hypostoichiometric state with a high density of oxygen vacancies. This can be accomplished in mixed uranium-plutonium fuel, which is then easily compacted with dispersed particles of uranium carbide.