Mixing of Al into uranium silicides reactor fuels
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Materials Science Div.
SEM observations have shown that irradiation induced interaction of the aluminum cladding with uranium silicide reactor fuels strongly affects both fission gas and fuel swelling behaviors during fuel burn-up. The authors have used ion beam mixing, by 1.5 MeV Kr, to study this phenomena. RBS and the {sup 27}Al(p, {gamma}) {sup 28}Si resonance nuclear reaction were used to measure radiation induced mixing of Al into U{sub 3}Si and U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} after irradiation at 300 C. Initially U mixes into the Al layer and Al mixes into the U{sub 3}Si. At a low dose, the Al layer is converted into UAl{sub 4} type compound while near the interface the phase U(Al{sub .93}Si{sub .07}){sub 3} grows. Under irradiation, Al diffuses out of the UAl{sub 4} surface layer, and the lower density ternary, which is stable under irradiation, is the final product. Al mixing into U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} is slower than in U{sub 3}Si, but after high dose irradiation the Al concentration extends much farther into the bulk. In both systems Al mixing and diffusion is controlled by phase formation and growth. The Al mixing rates into the two alloys are similar to that of Al into pure uranium where similar aluminide phases are formed.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Research, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 459404
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/MSD/CP-90459; CONF-961202-95; ON: DE97003767; TRN: 97:007821
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1996 Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), Boston, MA (United States), 2-6 Dec 1996; Other Information: PBD: Nov 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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