Model for radiation damage-induced grain subdivision and its influence in U3Si2 fuel swelling
- Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); INVAP S.E., Rio Negro (Argentina)
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Here, the swelling mechanisms of U3Si2 from neutron irradiation under reactor conditions are not unequivocally known. The limited experimental evidence that is available suggests that the main driver of the swelling in this material would be fission gases accumulation at crystalline grain boundaries. The steps that lead to the accumulation of fission gases at these locations are multiple and complex. However, gradually, the gaseous fission products migrate by diffusion. Upon reaching a grain boundary, which acts as a trap, the gaseous fission products start to accumulate, thus leading to formation of bubbles and hence to induced swelling. Therefore, a quantitative model of swelling requires the incorporation of phenomena that increase the presence of grain boundaries and decrease grain sizes, thus creating sites for bubble formation and growth while concurrently deceasing the distance from gas species formation to gas accumulation sites. It is assumed that grain boundary formation results from the conversion of stored energy from accumulated dislocations into energy for the formation of new grain boundaries. This work attempts to develop a quantitative model for grain subdivision in U3Si2 based on the above mentioned phenomena to quantitatively corroborate the presence of such a mechanism. Then the model is used in conjunction with swelling codes to evaluate the total swelling of a fuel pellet during its lifetime in the I2S-LWR reactor.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1473705
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-15-36584-Rev000
- Journal Information:
- Annals of Nuclear Energy (Oxford), Vol. 145; ISSN 0306-4549
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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