Experimental studies of U-Pu-Zr fast reactor fuel pins in the Experimental Breeder Reactor 2

Journal Article · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Metallurgical Transactions, A (Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02647233· OSTI ID:5906011

Pahl, R G; Porter, D L; Lahm, C E ^[1]; Hofman, G L ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (US)
2. Argonne National Lab., Argonne, IL (US)

Argonne National Laboratory's Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) concept has been under demonstration in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) since February 1985. Irradiation tests of U-Zr and U-Pu-Zr fuel pins to {gt}15 at. pct burnup have demonstrated their viability as driver fuel prototypes in innovative design liquid metal reactors. A number of technically challenging irradiation effects have been observed and are now under study. Microstructural changes in the fuel are dominated early in exposure by grain boundary cavitation and fission gas bubble growth, producing large amounts of swelling. Irradiation creep and swelling of the austenitic (D9) and martensitic (HT-9) candidate cladding alloys have been measured and correlate well with property modeling efforts. Chemical interaction between the fuel and cladding alloys has been characterized to assess the magnitude of cladding wastage during steady-state irradiation. Significant interdiffusion of the uranium and zirconium occurs producing metallurgically distinct zones in the fuel.

• OSTI ID: 5906011
• Journal Information: Metallurgical Transactions, A (Physical Metallurgy and Materials Science); (USA), Vol. 21:7; ISSN 0360-2133
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
EBR-2 REACTOR
FUEL PINS
MATERIALS TESTING
PLUTONIUM ALLOYS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
URANIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ANL
AUSTENITIC STEELS
CAVITATION
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
IFR REACTOR
MICROSTRUCTURE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
ACTINIDE ALLOYS
ALLOYS
BREEDER REACTORS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
STEELS
TESTING
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
ZERO POWER REACTORS
220600* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Research
Test & Experimental Reactors
360106 - Metals & Alloys- Radiation Effects
360102 - Metals & Alloys- Structure & Phase Studies
440200 - Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
Instruments
or Electronic Systems