Enhanced thermal conductivity of spark plasma-sintered thorium dioxide-silicon carbide composite fuel pellets

Malakkal, Linu; Prasad, Anil; Ranasinghe, Jayangani; Jossou, Ericmoore; Bichler, Lukas; Szpunar, Jerzy

doi:10.1016/j.net.2023.06.038

Title: Enhanced thermal conductivity of spark plasma-sintered thorium dioxide-silicon carbide composite fuel pellets

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Nuclear Engineering and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2023.06.038· OSTI ID:1987427

;

; Ranasinghe, Jayangani; Jossou, Ericmoore;

; Szpunar, Jerzy

Thorium dioxide (ThO₂)-silicon carbide (SiC) composite fuel pellets were fabricated via the spark plasma-sintering (SPS) method to investigate the role of the addition of SiC in enhancing the thermal conductivity of ThO₂ fuel. SiC particles with an average size of 1μm in 10 and 15 vol% were used to manufacture the composite pellets. The changes in the composites' densification, microstructure and thermal conductivity were explored by comparing them with pure ThO₂ pellets. The structural and microstructural characterization of the composite pellets has revealed that SPS could manufacture high-quality composite pellets without having any reaction products or intermetallic. The density measurement by the Archimedes principles and the grain size from the electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis has indicated that the composites have higher densities and smaller grain sizes than the pellets without SiC addition. Finally, thermal conductivity as a function of temperature has revealed that sintered ThO₂—SiC composites showed an increase of up to 56% in thermal conductivity compared to pristine ThO₂ pellets.

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

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

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

OSTI ID:: 1987427

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2281386

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-22-70326-Rev000; S1738573323003029; PII: S1738573323003029

Journal Information:: Nuclear Engineering and Technology, Journal Name: Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol. 55 Journal Issue: 10; ISSN 1738-5733

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Korea, Republic of

Language:: English

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