Gas-bubble growth mechanisms in the analysis of metal fuel swelling

Conference · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5819697

Gruber, E E; Kramer, J M

During steady-state irradiation, swelling rates associated with growth of fission-gas bubbles in metallic fast reactor fuels may be expected to remain small. As a consequence, bubble-growth mechanisms are not a major consideration in modeling the steady-state fuel behavior, and it is usually adequate to consider the gas pressure to be in equilibrium with the external pressure and surface tension restraint. On transient time scales, however, various bubble-growth mechanisms become important components of the swelling rate. These mechanisms include growth by diffusion, for bubbles within grains and on grain boundaries; dislocation nucleation at the bubble surface, or ''punchout''; and bubble growth by creep. Analyses of these mechanisms are presented and applied to provide information on the conditions and the relative time scales for which the various processes should dominate fuel swelling. The results are compared to a series of experiments in which the swelling of irradiated metal fuel was determined after annealing at various temperatures and pressures. The diffusive growth of bubbles on grain boundaries is concluded to be dominant in these experiments.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5819697
• Report Number(s): CONF-860605-2; ON: DE86005512
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050700 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Fuels Production & Properties
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360106* -- Metals & Alloys-- Radiation Effects
ACTINIDE ALLOYS
ALLOY NUCLEAR FUELS
ALLOYS
BREEDER REACTORS
BUBBLE GROWTH
CREEP
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIFFUSION
DISLOCATIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUELS
ISOTOPES
LINE DEFECTS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SOLID FUELS
SWELLING
TRANSIENTS
URANIUM ALLOYS