Sintering and characterization of ZrN and (Dy,Zr)N as surrogate materials for fast reactor nitride fuel

Pellets of inert matrix material ZrN, and surrogate nitride fuel material (Dy0.4Zr0.6)N, are fabricated for the purpose of investigating the origin and the effect of carbon and oxygen impurity concentrations. Oxygen concentrations of up to 1.2wt% are deliberately introduced into the materials with two separate methods. The achievable pellet densities of these materials, as a function of O content, sintering temperature and dimensional powder properties are determined. O dissolved into (Dy,Zr)N increases the achievable densities to a larger extent than if dissolved into ZrN. The segregation of O-rich phases in ZrN indicates a low O solubility in the material. Oxygen pick-up during the fabrication of the product as well as its exposure to air is demonstrated. The quality of the materials is monitored by the systematic analysis of O, N and C contents throughout the fabrication and sintering processes, supported by XRD and SEM analyses.