Experimental studies of laser-ablated zirconium carbide plasma plumes: Fuel corrosion diagnostic development

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

OSTI ID:5211837

Wantuck, P J; Butt, D P; Sappey, A D

Understanding the corrosion behavior of nuclear fuel materials, such as refractory carbides, in a high temperature hydrogen environment is critical for several proposed nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) concepts. Monitoring the fuel corrosion products is important not only for understanding corrosion characteristics, but to assess the performance of an actual, operating nuclear propulsion system as well. In this paper, we describe an experimental study initiated to develop, test, and subsequently utilize non-intrusive, laser-based diagnostics to characterize the gaseous product species which are expected to evolve during the exposure of representative fuel samples to hydrogen. Laser ablation is used to produce high temperature, vapor plumes from solid solution, uranium-free, zirconium carbide (ZrC) forms for probing by other laser diagnostic methods; predominantly laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). We discuss the laser ablation technique, results of plume emission measurements, as well as the use of planar LIF to image both the ZrC plumes and actual NTP fuel corrosion constituents.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5211837
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-92-1557; CONF-920803-7; ON: DE92015148
• Resource Relation: Conference: Nuclear technologies for space exploration, Jackson, WY (United States), 16-19 Aug 1992
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
NUCLEAR FUELS
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
SPACE PROPULSION REACTORS
ZIRCONIUM CARBIDES
CORROSION
ABLATION
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CORROSION PRODUCTS
HYDROGEN
IMAGES
LASERS
MONITORING
PLASMA
PLUMES
REFRACTORY METALS
ALLOYS
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
KINETICS
MATERIALS
METALS
MOBILE REACTORS
NONMETALS
POWER REACTORS
PROPULSION REACTORS
REACTION KINETICS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600* - Power Reactors
Auxiliary
Mobile Package
& Transportable
360105 - Metals & Alloys- Corrosion & Erosion
360205 - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Corrosion & Erosion