Fracture mechanics approach to TRISO fuel particle failure analysis

Recuero, Antonio M.; Singh, Gyanender; Jiang, Wen

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155083

Fracture mechanics approach to TRISO fuel particle failure analysis

Journal Article · Tue Apr 16 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155083· OSTI ID:2404539

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Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

Weibull stress-based methods for failure probability assessment have been developed and analyzed to assess the integrity of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles during fuel life cycles and accident operating conditions. While simple, these methods entail a number of drawbacks when stress concentrates near crack tips, including finite element mesh size dependency when the Weibull stress is averaged over the finite element domain. Fracture mechanics approaches involving the use of interaction integrals eliminate this lack of mesh convergence and produce consistent fracture predictions. In this work, we use an interaction integral approach to computing stress intensity factors for a crack in the inner pyrolytic carbon layer perpendicular to the silicon carbide layer, which is simplified representation of a failure mode in TRISO particles. Further, the interface between these two TRISO layers has been shown to become porous, which we simulate by considering a transition of mechanical properties over such porous length, i.e. the layers are modeled as a functionally graded material. Aspects such as porosity and thermal and irradiation eigenstrains are considered in computing the stress intensity factor from a fracture mechanics approach and compared with the known Weibull stress failure approach. The methodology introduced in this paper enables a more general fracture probability assessment in TRISO particles and eliminates the need to identify best suited parameters when using local or averaged stress-based failure criterion. Finally, the numerical sensitivity studies show how parameters such as the porous transition zone length, the material stiffness, and creep affect the probability of TRISO fuel particle failure.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

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

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC07-05ID14517

OSTI ID:: 2404539

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2369203

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU--23-75760-Rev000

Journal Information:: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Vol. 596; ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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