Microstructural characterization of an irradiated RERTR-6 U-7Mo/AA4043 alloy dispersion fuel plate specimen blister-tested to a final temperature of 500°C
Abstract
The Material Management and Minimization (M3) Reactor Conversion Program, in the past called the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, is developing low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuels for application in research reactors. U–Mo alloy dispersion fuel is one type being developed. Blister testing has been performed on different fuel plate samples to determine the margin to failure for fuel plates irradiated to different fission densities. Microstructural characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy on a sample taken from a U-7Mo/AA4043 matrix dispersion fuel plate irradiated in the RERTR-6 experiment that was blister-tested up to a final temperature of 500°C. The results indicated that two types of grain/cell boundaries were observed in the U- 7Mo fuel particles, one with a relatively low Mo content and fission gas bubbles and a second type enriched in Si, due to interdiffusion from the Si-containing matrix, with little evidence of fission gas bubbles. With respect to the behavior of the major fission gas Xe, a significant amount of the Xe was still observed within the U-7Mo fuel particle, along with microns into the AA4043 matrix. For the fuel/matrix interaction layers that form during fabrication and then grow during irradiation,more »
- Authors:
-
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Menai, NSW (Australia)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1363933
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1396900
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-16-39820
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115; PII: S0022311516310819
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 488; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; blister testing; focused ion beam; furnace heating; microstructure; nuclear fuel; research reactor; scanning electron microscopy; transmission electron microscopy; U-Mo alloy
Citation Formats
Keiser, Jr., Dennis D., Jue, Jan -Fong, Gan, Jian, Miller, Brandon D., Robinson, Adam B., Madden, James W., Finlay, M. Ross, Moore, Glenn, Medvedev, Pavel, and Meyer, Mitch. Microstructural characterization of an irradiated RERTR-6 U-7Mo/AA4043 alloy dispersion fuel plate specimen blister-tested to a final temperature of 500°C. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.02.038.
Keiser, Jr., Dennis D., Jue, Jan -Fong, Gan, Jian, Miller, Brandon D., Robinson, Adam B., Madden, James W., Finlay, M. Ross, Moore, Glenn, Medvedev, Pavel, & Meyer, Mitch. Microstructural characterization of an irradiated RERTR-6 U-7Mo/AA4043 alloy dispersion fuel plate specimen blister-tested to a final temperature of 500°C. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.02.038
Keiser, Jr., Dennis D., Jue, Jan -Fong, Gan, Jian, Miller, Brandon D., Robinson, Adam B., Madden, James W., Finlay, M. Ross, Moore, Glenn, Medvedev, Pavel, and Meyer, Mitch. Mon .
"Microstructural characterization of an irradiated RERTR-6 U-7Mo/AA4043 alloy dispersion fuel plate specimen blister-tested to a final temperature of 500°C". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.02.038. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1363933.
@article{osti_1363933,
title = {Microstructural characterization of an irradiated RERTR-6 U-7Mo/AA4043 alloy dispersion fuel plate specimen blister-tested to a final temperature of 500°C},
author = {Keiser, Jr., Dennis D. and Jue, Jan -Fong and Gan, Jian and Miller, Brandon D. and Robinson, Adam B. and Madden, James W. and Finlay, M. Ross and Moore, Glenn and Medvedev, Pavel and Meyer, Mitch},
abstractNote = {The Material Management and Minimization (M3) Reactor Conversion Program, in the past called the Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor (RERTR) Program, is developing low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuels for application in research reactors. U–Mo alloy dispersion fuel is one type being developed. Blister testing has been performed on different fuel plate samples to determine the margin to failure for fuel plates irradiated to different fission densities. Microstructural characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy on a sample taken from a U-7Mo/AA4043 matrix dispersion fuel plate irradiated in the RERTR-6 experiment that was blister-tested up to a final temperature of 500°C. The results indicated that two types of grain/cell boundaries were observed in the U- 7Mo fuel particles, one with a relatively low Mo content and fission gas bubbles and a second type enriched in Si, due to interdiffusion from the Si-containing matrix, with little evidence of fission gas bubbles. With respect to the behavior of the major fission gas Xe, a significant amount of the Xe was still observed within the U-7Mo fuel particle, along with microns into the AA4043 matrix. For the fuel/matrix interaction layers that form during fabrication and then grow during irradiation, they change from the as-irradiated amorphous structure to one that is crystalline after blister testing. In the AA4043 matrix, the original Si-rich precipitates, which are typically observed in as-irradiated U-Mo dispersion fuel, get consumed due to interdiffusion with the U-7Mo fuel particles during the blister test. Lastly, the fission gas bubbles that were originally around 2 nm in diameter and resided on a fission gas superlattice in the intragranular regions of as-irradiated U-7Mo fuel grew in size (up to ~20 nm diameter) during blister testing.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.02.038},
journal = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},
number = C,
volume = 488,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Mon Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
Web of Science