Etude du vanadium comme barrière de diffusion entre l'aluminium et l'uranium

The U-V-AI ternary diffusion was studied for the technological application to metallic uranium fuel elements canned with aluminium. The vanadium layer should act as a diffusion barrier layer as well as a metallic heat transfer medium. Vanadium layers were deposited by evaporation in vacuum. Solid state reactions between vanadium, uranium and aluminium were studied at different temperatures. The composition of the various diffusion zones or phases were determined. The diffusion rate laws were established as a function of temperature and of lifetime of the element. It is possible to calculate the necessary thickness for diffusion barrier layers for the imposed conditions.