Challenges and opportunities to alloyed and composite fuel architectures to mitigate high uranium density fuel oxidation: uranium silicide

Gonzales, Adrian; Sooby, Elizabeth; Wagner, Adrian R.; Watkins, Jennifer K.; Jaques, Brian

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153026

Challenges and opportunities to alloyed and composite fuel architectures to mitigate high uranium density fuel oxidation: uranium silicide

Journal Article · Fri Apr 23 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153026· OSTI ID:1846161

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Univ. of Texas at San Antonio, TX (United States)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Boise State Univ., ID (United States)
Boise State Univ., ID (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

We report the challenges and opportunities to alloyed and composite fuel architectures designed and intended to mitigate oxidation of the fuel during a cladding breech of a water-cooled reactor are discussed in three review manuscripts developed in parallel, with the presented article focused on the oxidation performance of uranium silicide. Several high uranium density fuels are under consideration for deployment as accident tolerant and/or advanced technology nuclear reactor fuels, including UN, U₃Si₂, UC and UB₂. Presented here are the literature for the U3Si2 degradation modes, thermodynamics, and oxidation performance of the pure compound and its reported alloyed and composite architectures. Furthermore, this review covers the materials and techniques for the incorporation of additives, dopants, or composite fuel architectures to improve the oxidation/corrosion behavior for high uranium density fuels for use in LWRs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Security; USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517; NA0003948; NE0008824

OSTI ID:: 1846161

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1815064

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-21-62667

Journal Information:: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Journal Issue: - Vol. 553; ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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