Fission gas bubble nucleated cavitational swelling of the alpha-uranium phase of irradiated U-Pu-Zr fuel

Conference · Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:10149162

Rest, J

Cavitational swelling has been identified as a potential swelling mechanism for the alpha uranium phase of irradiated U-Pu-Zr metal fuels for the Integral Fast Reactor being developed at Argonne National Laboratory. The trends of U-Pu-Zr swelling data prior to fuel cladding contact can be interpreted in terms of unrestrained cavitational driven swelling. It is theorized that the swelling mechanisms at work in the alpha uranium phase can be modeled by single vacancy and single interstitial kinetics with intergranular gas bubbles providing the void nuclei, avoiding the use of complicated defect interaction terms required for the calculation of void nucleation. The focus of the kinetics of fission gas evolution as it relates to cavitational swelling is prior to the formation of a significant amount of interconnected porosity and is on the development of small intergranular gas bubbles which can act as void nuclei. Calculations for the evolution of intergranular fission gas bubbles show that they provide critical cavity sizes (i.e., the size above which the cavity will grow by bias-driven vacancy flux) consistent with the observed incubation dose for the onset of rapid swelling and gas release.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 10149162
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP-76000; CONF-920673-5; ON: DE92014854
• Resource Relation: Conference: 16. annual symposium of American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) on effects of radiation on materials,Denver, CO (United States),21-25 Jun 1992; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
NUCLEAR FUELS
SWELLING
URANIUM
PLUTONIUM
ZIRCONIUM
BUBBLES
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
POROSITY
GASES
F CODES
G CODES
CAVITIES
210500
050700
POWER REACTORS
BREEDING
FUELS PRODUCTION AND PROPERTIES