Investigation of constituent redistribution in U-Pu-Zr fuels and its dependence on varying Zr content

Rahn, Thaddeus; Capriotti, Luca; Di Lemma, Fidelma; Trowbridge, Tammy; Harp, Jason; Aitkaliyeva, Assel

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153301

Investigation of constituent redistribution in U-Pu-Zr fuels and its dependence on varying Zr content

Journal Article · Thu Sep 16 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153301· OSTI ID:1831652

Rahn, Thaddeus ^[1]; ^[2]; Di Lemma, Fidelma ^[2]; Trowbridge, Tammy ^[2]; ^[3]; Aitkaliyeva, Assel ^[1]

Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

This contribution investigates fuel constituent segregation and fuel-cladding chemical interactions (FCCI) in three U-Pu-Zr fuel pins irradiated to ~11% burnup in Experimental Breeder Reactor-II as part of the X441 DP-1 experiment. In examined pins, Zr content ranged from 6 to 10 and 14 wt.%, while Pu concentration was constant at 19 wt.% Pu. The primary goal of the investigation was to determine the role Zr content plays in fuel performance and this manuscript provides assessment of both constituent redistribution and FCCI as a function of axial position. FCCI was observed in all pins, though no cladding failure was noted. Optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that variation in Zr content alters the number and relative size of constituent redistribution zones in the fuel. For example, larger Zr-rich central regions and smaller U-rich intermediate regions were observed in 14 wt.% Zr fuels. More importantly, all examined fuels have four or more discrete constituent redistribution regions, where each region has dissimilar morphological features. The existence of four to six distinctive regions deviates from traditionally accepted three region redistribution model, highlights complexity of constituent redistribution in this metal fuel, and identifies the need to conduct additional studies using state-of-the-art instrumentation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1831652

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1821769

Journal Information:: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Vol. 557; ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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