The Role of Electron and Atom Probe Tomography in Characterization of Nuclear Fuels

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2016 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:22992154

Aitkaliyeva, Assel; Papesch, Cynthia ^[1]; Wu, Yaqiao ^[2]; Wen, Haiming ^[3]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory, PO Box 1625 MS 6188, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 (United States)
2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 (United States)
3. Idaho State University, Idaho Falls, ID 83844 (United States)

Dramatic advances in materials characterization capabilities over the last few years enabled microstructural and chemical 3D characterization of specimens at the atomic-scale with unprecedented quantitative precision and high data collection rates. These improvements allow for the transition of electron tomography (ET) and atom probe tomography (APT) techniques to a much broader research field and their implementation in the characterization of nuclear fuels and highly radioactive materials. Nanoscale characterization has been widely developed for non-nuclear applications, yet in the nuclear arena, particularly for fuels, these modern characterization techniques have not been applied in concert to elucidate fundamental material behavior in metal fuel. In this work, we present cross-correlated APT and ET data and provide atomic-scale representations of microstructure and chemistry of nuclear fuels, which is essential in the validation of current and future atomistic and meso-scale modeling efforts. A firm understanding of microstructural evolution in reactor materials is imperative and will lead to deeper understanding of in-reactor degradation behavior, creating a new generation of radiation-resistant materials and fuels with the potential for significant increases in burn-up. In summary, two complementary techniques were used to characterize phases formed as a result of interdiffusion between U-Pu-Zr metal fuel and cladding and fission gas bubbles produced in U-Mo fuel upon irradiation. Understanding in-reactor degradation behavior of these materials is critical to advancing nuclear energy technology. (authors)

• OSTI ID: 22992154
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 114; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
BURNUP
CLADDING
FISSION PRODUCTS
IRRADIATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
NANOSTRUCTURES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PROBES
TOMOGRAPHY