Delayed onset of discontinuous precipitation-based phase transformation in U10Mo alloys doped with Silicon

Song, Miao; Jana, Saumyadeep; Huber, Zachary F.; Sweet, Lucas E.; Lavender, Curt A.; Joshi, Vineet V.

doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166311

Delayed onset of discontinuous precipitation-based phase transformation in U10Mo alloys doped with Silicon

Journal Article · Thu Jul 14 00:00:00 EDT 2022 · Journal of Alloys and Compounds

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.166311· OSTI ID:1924624

Song, Miao ^[1]; Jana, Saumyadeep ^[1]; Huber, Zachary F. ^[1]; ^[1]; Lavender, Curt A. ^[1]; ^[1]

Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

A uranium-10 wt% molybdenum (U-10Mo) alloy is one of the primary candidates for metallic fuels that would use low-enriched uranium in place of highly enriched uranium, to support nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Optimal performance of a U-based metallic nuclear fuel can be achieved by retaining the high-temperature, body-centered cubic (bcc) allotrope (γ-U) at room temperature, which can be accomplished in the U-10Mo alloy. However, presence of minor alloying elements can influence the final constitution of room-temperature phases in the U10Mo alloy, specifically, formation of α-U phase which results in anisotropic behavior of the fuel in reactor. Further, through a detailed transmission electron microscopy analysis, the present study reports the constituent phases that are present in a U10Mo alloy containing ~0.1 wt% Si after it is subjected to homogenization heat treatment and thermomechanical processing. For comparison, results from an undoped U10Mo alloy are also included. The experimental results reveal that γ-UMo solid solution is the major phase in a hot-rolled, Si-doped U10Mo alloy metallic fuel foil, along with U₂MoSi₂C, UC, and U₂Mo, after isothermal annealing at 460 °C for 10h. In contrast, after the same heat treatment, the undoped U10Mo alloy metallic fuel had formed a noticeable amount of α-U along prior γ-UMo grain boundaries through discontinuous precipitation (DP, area fraction: ~27.9%) with characteristic lamellar morphology, together with γ-UMo, UC, and U₂Mo. This result indicates that doping with Si could mitigate the DP reaction in U10Mo alloy and prevent formation of undesirable α-U. This work sheds light on optimizing Si-doping–dominated microstructure in U10Mo fuels and facilitates designing and tuning of microstructures of U10Mo alloys for tailoring the final designed performance of the fuel under irradiation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 1924624

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1960945

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA-170469

Journal Information:: Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Journal Name: Journal of Alloys and Compounds Vol. 922; ISSN 0925-8388

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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