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Title: Phase-field simulations of intragranular fission gas bubble evolution in UO2 under post-irradiation thermal annealing

Abstract

Fission gas bubble is one of evolving microstructures, which affect thermal mechanical properties such as thermo-conductivity, gas release, volume swelling, and cracking, in operating nuclear fuels. Therefore, fundamental understanding of gas bubble evolution kinetics is essential to predict the thermodynamic property and performance changes of fuels. In this work, a generic phasefield model was developed to describe the evolution kinetics of intra-granular fission gas bubbles in UO2 fuels under post-irradiation thermal annealing conditions. Free energy functional and model parameters are evaluated from atomistic simulations and experiments. Critical nuclei size of the gas bubble and gas bubble evolution were simulated. A linear relationship between logarithmic bubble number density and logarithmic mean bubble diameter is predicted which is in a good agreement with experimental data.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1091987
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-90991
NT0108020
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 303:62-67
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 303:62-67
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
Phase-field approach; Intra-granular gas bubbles evolution; post-irradiation annealing, UO2

Citation Formats

Li, Yulan, Hu, Shenyang Y., Montgomery, Robert O., Gao, Fei, and Sun, Xin. Phase-field simulations of intragranular fission gas bubble evolution in UO2 under post-irradiation thermal annealing. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2012.11.028.
Li, Yulan, Hu, Shenyang Y., Montgomery, Robert O., Gao, Fei, & Sun, Xin. Phase-field simulations of intragranular fission gas bubble evolution in UO2 under post-irradiation thermal annealing. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2012.11.028
Li, Yulan, Hu, Shenyang Y., Montgomery, Robert O., Gao, Fei, and Sun, Xin. 2013. "Phase-field simulations of intragranular fission gas bubble evolution in UO2 under post-irradiation thermal annealing". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2012.11.028.
@article{osti_1091987,
title = {Phase-field simulations of intragranular fission gas bubble evolution in UO2 under post-irradiation thermal annealing},
author = {Li, Yulan and Hu, Shenyang Y. and Montgomery, Robert O. and Gao, Fei and Sun, Xin},
abstractNote = {Fission gas bubble is one of evolving microstructures, which affect thermal mechanical properties such as thermo-conductivity, gas release, volume swelling, and cracking, in operating nuclear fuels. Therefore, fundamental understanding of gas bubble evolution kinetics is essential to predict the thermodynamic property and performance changes of fuels. In this work, a generic phasefield model was developed to describe the evolution kinetics of intra-granular fission gas bubbles in UO2 fuels under post-irradiation thermal annealing conditions. Free energy functional and model parameters are evaluated from atomistic simulations and experiments. Critical nuclei size of the gas bubble and gas bubble evolution were simulated. A linear relationship between logarithmic bubble number density and logarithmic mean bubble diameter is predicted which is in a good agreement with experimental data.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nimb.2012.11.028},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1091987}, journal = {Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 303:62-67},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Wed May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}