Application of Phase-field Method in Predicting Gas Bubble Microstructure Evolution in Nuclear Fuels

Journal Article · Fri Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · International Journal of Materials Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3139/146.110304· OSTI ID:982293

Hu, Shenyang Y; Li, Yulan; Sun, Xin; Gao, Fei; Devanathan, Ramaswami; Henager, Charles H; Khaleel, Mohammad A

Fission product accumulation and gas bubble microstructure evolution in nuclear fuels strongly affect thermo-mechanical properties such as thermal conductivity, gas release, volumetric swelling and cracking, and hence the fuel performance. In this paper, a general phase-field model is developed to predict gas bubble formation and evolution. Important materials processes and thermodynamic properties including the generation of gas atoms and vacancies, sinks for vacancies and gas atoms, the elastic interaction among defects, gas re-solution, and inhomogeneity of elasticity and diffusivity are accounted for in the model. The simulations demonstrate the potential application of the phase-field method in investigating 1) heterogeneous nucleation of gas bubbles at defects; 2) effect of elastic interaction, inhomogeneity of material properties, and gas re-solution on gas bubble microstructures; and 3) effective properties from the output of phase-field simulations such as distribution of defects, gas bubbles, and stress fields.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 982293
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-69082; AF5830010; TRN: US1004282
• Journal Information: International Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 10, Issue 4; ISSN 1862-5282
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ATOMS
BUBBLES
BUILDUP
CRACKING
DEFECTS
DISTRIBUTION
ELASTICITY
EVOLUTION
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUELS
INTERACTIONS
MATERIALS
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEATION
SINKS
SWELLING
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VACANCIES
Phase-field Model
Gas bubble evolution
Nuclear fuel