Microstructural characterization of irradiated U–7Mo/Al–5Si dispersion fuel to high fission density

Gan, Jian; Miller, Brandon; Keiser, Dennis D.; Robinson, Adam; Madden, James W.; Medvedev, Pavel; Wachs, D. M.

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2014.08.052

Cited by 32 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Void alignments rather than a superlattice are observed in Cu-Ni, in a low dose rate ∼ 3.5 × 10 −7 dpa/s and high temperature T /T m ∼ 0.51 [66], which indicates the Mechanism III. To obtain a perfect superlattice through Mechanism I, a high dose rate and low temperature are required, which is consistent with the observations in U-7Mo system, in a nuclear fuel irradiated in research reactors at T /T m ∼ 0.28 [67].…”

Section: Selection Of the Formation Mechanismssupporting

confidence: 74%

Formation and self-organization of void superlattices under irradiation: A phase field study

et al. 2018

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Self-organized patterns, realized in non-equilibrium processes, have been widely observed in physics and chemistry. As a powerful tool to create far-from-equilibrium environments, irradiation produces a variety of types of defects, which can self-organize through physical interactions and chemical reactions. Such a process becomes complicated especially when both thermodynamics and kinetics play critical roles in pattern formation. In this paper, we investigate the formation and self-organization mechanism of void superlattices in metals and alloys under irradiation through phase field modeling and simulations. For the first time, three different formation mechanisms of void superlattices are clearly distinguished according to their thermodynamic origin and reaction kinetics. It is found that the characteristic length and symmetry of an emerging superlattice is determined by the interplay of the thermodynamic driving force and the kinetic anisotropy of the system. Through parametric study, the effects of kinetic coefficients, such as atomic mobility and irradiation dose rate, on the nucleation, growth, coarsening, coalescence, and ordering of voids are systematically investigated. The theoretical model developed in this work may provide guidelines for designing desired self-organized microstructures under irradiation.

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Section: Selection Of the Formation Mechanismssupporting

confidence: 74%

Formation and self-organization of void superlattices under irradiation: A phase field study

et al. 2018

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“…The eccentricity values support the theory that the development of large bubbles in the fuel grain interior is driven by the coalescence of fine bubbles collapsed from the fission gas bubble superlattice. The irregular shape of the bubbles as a result of bubble coalescence highlights the complex interaction of the bubble evolution with its surrounding fuel material and solid fission products (Gan et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of irradiated U-7wt%Mo dispersion fuel microstructures using automated image processing

Collette

King

Buesch

et al. 2016

Journal of Nuclear Materials

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The High Performance Research Reactor Fuel Development (HPPRFD) program is responsible for developing low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel substitutes for high performance reactors fueled with highly enriched uranium (HEU) that have not yet been converted to LEU. The uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) fuel system was selected for this effort. In this study, fission gas pore segmentation was performed on U-7wt%Mo dispersion fuel samples at three separate fission densities using an automated image processing interface developed in MATLAB. Pore size distributions were attained that showed both expected and unexpected fission gas behavior. In general, it proved challenging to identify any dominant trends when comparing fission bubble data across samples from different fuel plates due to varying compositions and fabrication techniques. The results exhibited fair agreement with the fission density vs. porosity correlation developed by the Russian reactor conversion program.

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“…There have been several characterization studies carried out on U-Mo particles irradiated over a range of fission rates, temperatures, and fission densities [2,14,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. As demonstrated in previous work using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), key features observed are the formation of a fission gas bubble superlattice along with decoration of grain boundaries by large fission gas bubbles [12,19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Microstructural Changes and Chemical Analysis of Fission Products in Irradiated Uranium-7 wt.% Molybdenum Metallic Fuel Using Atom Probe Tomography

et al. 2021

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Understanding the microstructural and phase changes occurring during irradiation and their impact on metallic fuel behavior is integral to research and development of nuclear fuel programs. This paper reports systematic analysis of as-fabricated and irradiated low-enriched U-Mo (uranium-molybdenum metal alloy) fuel using atom probe tomography (APT). This study is carried out on U-7 wt.% Mo fuel particles coated with a ZrN layer contained within an Al matrix during irradiation. The dispersion fuel plates from which the fuel samples were extracted are irradiated at Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) with burn-up of 52% and 66% in the framework of the SELENIUM (Surface Engineering of Low ENrIched Uranium-Molybdenum) project. The APT studies on U-Mo particles from as-fabricated fuel plates enriched to 19.8% revealed predominantly γ-phase U-Mo, along with a network of the cell boundary decorated with α-U, γ’-U2Mo, and UC precipitates along the grain boundaries. The corresponding APT characterization of irradiated fuel samples showed formation of fission gas bubbles enriched with solid fission products. The intermediate burnup sample showed a uniform distribution of the typical bubble superlattice with a radius of 2 nm arranged in a regular lattice, while the high burnup sample showed a non-uniform distribution of bubbles in grain-refined regions. There was no evidence of remnant α-U, γ’-U2Mo, and UC phases in the irradiated U-7 wt.% Mo samples.

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Microstructural characterization of irradiated U–7Mo/Al–5Si dispersion fuel to high fission density

Cited by 32 publications

References 11 publications

Formation and self-organization of void superlattices under irradiation: A phase field study

Formation and self-organization of void superlattices under irradiation: A phase field study

Analysis of irradiated U-7wt%Mo dispersion fuel microstructures using automated image processing

Microstructural Changes and Chemical Analysis of Fission Products in Irradiated Uranium-7 wt.% Molybdenum Metallic Fuel Using Atom Probe Tomography

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