skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Fabrication of UN microsphere kernels for Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel

Abstract

Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel is of interest to the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Cycle Research and Development program as an Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF). The FCM design uses a TRISO (Tri-Structural Isotropic) particle with a ZrO{sub 2} surrogate kernel, embedded in a dense SiC matrix. TRISO technology, originally developed for High Temperature Gas Reactors, has an established high level of performance retaining fission products and the SiC matrix of an FCM compact shows good steam oxidation behavior. This work reports on a fabrication route for producing dense UN microspheres used as the kernel of the TRISO particles in FCM fuel. The UN microspheres are of high purity and density with enough porosity to accommodate volatile fission products. Increasing the density is nevertheless of interest potentially allowing for an additional adjustable property for optimizing the fuel kernel and TRISO particle characteristics. Current work is focused on investigating the effect of a feedstock microstructure on final product density. (authors)

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831-6063 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22992096
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Transactions of the American Nuclear Society
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 114; Journal Issue: 1; Conference: Annual Meeting of the American Nuclear Society. Embedded topical meeting 'Nuclear fuels and structural material for the next generation nuclear reactors', New Orleans, LA (United States), 12-16 Jun 2016; Other Information: Country of input: France; 2 refs.; Available from American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 United States; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-018X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ACCIDENT-TOLERANT NUCLEAR FUELS; CERAMICS; FABRICATION; FISSION PRODUCTS; FUEL CYCLE; FUEL PARTICLES; KERNELS; MICROSPHERES; MICROSTRUCTURE; OPTIMIZATION; SILICON CARBIDES; ZIRCONIUM OXIDES

Citation Formats

McMurray, JW, Lindemer, TB, Hunt, RD, Collins, JL, Silva, CM, Henry, JJ, and Terrani, KA. Fabrication of UN microsphere kernels for Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel. United States: N. p., 2016. Web.
McMurray, JW, Lindemer, TB, Hunt, RD, Collins, JL, Silva, CM, Henry, JJ, & Terrani, KA. Fabrication of UN microsphere kernels for Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel. United States.
McMurray, JW, Lindemer, TB, Hunt, RD, Collins, JL, Silva, CM, Henry, JJ, and Terrani, KA. 2016. "Fabrication of UN microsphere kernels for Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel". United States.
@article{osti_22992096,
title = {Fabrication of UN microsphere kernels for Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated fuel},
author = {McMurray, JW and Lindemer, TB and Hunt, RD and Collins, JL and Silva, CM and Henry, JJ and Terrani, KA},
abstractNote = {Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel is of interest to the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Cycle Research and Development program as an Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF). The FCM design uses a TRISO (Tri-Structural Isotropic) particle with a ZrO{sub 2} surrogate kernel, embedded in a dense SiC matrix. TRISO technology, originally developed for High Temperature Gas Reactors, has an established high level of performance retaining fission products and the SiC matrix of an FCM compact shows good steam oxidation behavior. This work reports on a fabrication route for producing dense UN microspheres used as the kernel of the TRISO particles in FCM fuel. The UN microspheres are of high purity and density with enough porosity to accommodate volatile fission products. Increasing the density is nevertheless of interest potentially allowing for an additional adjustable property for optimizing the fuel kernel and TRISO particle characteristics. Current work is focused on investigating the effect of a feedstock microstructure on final product density. (authors)},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22992096}, journal = {Transactions of the American Nuclear Society},
issn = {0003-018X},
number = 1,
volume = 114,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}