Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility
As part of an overall effort to convert US research reactors to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel use, a LEU conversion fuel is being designed for the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at the Idaho National Laboratory. TREAT fuel compacts are comprised of UO2 fuel particles in a graphitic matrix material. In order to refine heat transfer modeling, as well as determine other physical and nuclear characteristics of the fuel, the amount and type of graphite and non-graphite phases within the fuel matrix must be known. In this study, we performed a series of complementary analyses, designed to allow detailed characterization of the graphite and phenolic resin based fuel matrix. Methods included Scanning Electron and Transmission Electron Microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Dual-Beam Focused Ion Beam Tomography. Our results indicate that no single characterization technique will yield all of the desired information; however, through the use of statistical and empirical data analysis, such as curve fitting, partial least squares regression, volume extrapolation and spectra peak ratios, a degree of certainty for the quantity of each phase can be obtained.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1358203
- Report Number(s):
- INL/CON-16-37606
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (NFSM-2016), New Orleans, June 12–15, 2016
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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