The current baseline process for fabricating pucks for the Plutonium Immobilization Program (PIP) includes granulation of the milled feed prior to compaction. A direct fabrication process was demonstrated that eliminates the need for granulation. Feed preparation methods were developed and organic additives were selected to produce a milled feed that could be pressed and sintered to form high-density pucks acceptable for disposal in a repository. The critical process variables were optimized and the process limits for these variables were established. It was also demonstrated that by adjusting the sintering schedule, direct fabrication could produce good quality pucks from feeds containing impurities expected to be encountered in the immobilization process. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the direct fabrication process, the following tasks had to be completed: (1) selection of a binder and determination of the amount of binder required to produce good quality pucks; (2) development of a procedure to add the binder prior to milling; (3) development of a method to charge the die with milled powder (this method had to minimize dusting to the glove box as the die is being charged); and (4) demonstration that the green strength of the pucks was adequate for remote handling. This report discusses the progress that has been made to develop and demonstrate these criteria.
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