BS ISO 22765:2016 describes the ceramographic procedure used to prepare sintered (U,Pu)O2 pellets for
qualitative and quantitative examination of the pellet microstructure.The examinations are performed before and after thermal treatment or chemical etching.They allowobservation of any cracks, intra- and intergranular pores or inclusions, andmeasurement of the grain size, porosity and plutonium homogeneity distribution.The mean grain diameter is measured by one of the classic methods: counting (intercept method),
comparison with standard grids or typical images, etc.[2] The measurement of individual grain sizes
requires uniform development of the microstructure over the entire specimen.The plutonium cluster and pore distribution and localization are generally analysed by automatic
image analysis systems. The plutonium distribution is usually revealed by chemical etching but alphaautoradiography
can also be used. The first technique avoids the tendency for autoradiography to
exaggerate the size of plutonium-rich clusters due to the distance the alpha particles travel away from
the source.Cross References:ISO 3696ASTM E112All current amendments available at time of purchase are included with the purchase of this document.