Characterization of fission gas bubbles in irradiated U-10Mo fuel

Journal Article · 06 June 2017 · Materials Characterization

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATCHAR.2017.06.007 · OSTI ID:1364390

Casella, Andrew M. ^[1]; Burkes, Douglas E. ^[1]; MacFarlan, Paul J. ^[1]; Buck, Edgar C. ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

A simple, repeatable method for characterization of fission gas bubbles in irradiated U-Mo fuels has been developed. This method involves mechanical potting and polishing of samples along with examination with a scanning electron microscope located outside of a hot cell. The commercially available software packages CellProfiler, MATLAB, and Mathematica are used to segment and analyze the captured images. The results are compared and contrasted. Finally, baseline methods for fission gas bubble characterization are suggested for consideration and further development.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 1364390
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1550139
• Report Number(s): PNNL-SA-124921; PII: S1044580317309555
• Journal Information: Materials Characterization, Vol. 131; ISSN 1044-5803
• Publisher: ElsevierCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English