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Title: Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of SiC composite tubes: the effects of microstructure and irradiation

Journal Article · · Journal of Nuclear Materials
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science and Technology Division
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle
  3. General Atomics, Electromagnetic Systems, San Diego, CA (United States). Nuclear Technologies and Materials Division
  4. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of). Nuclear Materials Division
  5. Univ. Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France). CEA, Service de Recherches Métallurgiques Appliquées

Cladding thermal conductivity is an important physical property in assessing the performance of silicon carbide (SiC)-cladded fuels for nuclear reactors. However, there is a significant lack of reliable data, particularly for irradiated materials, because the geometry complicates the measurement. This study investigates the thermal diffusivity of coupons with a curvature, machined from SiC fiber–reinforced SiC matrix composite tubes, with and without neutron irradiation under light water reactor–relevant temperature and dose conditions. The tested materials included full composite and duplex SiC composite tubes. The measurements were conducted using a modern flash diffusivity apparatus. The analyzed area on the specimen during diffusivity testing was reduced for improved measurement accuracy due to sample curvature. Post-irradiation measurements showed that the effects of neutron irradiation on thermal conductivity (e.g. thermal defect resistivity) are different between SiC composite plates versus tubes. The difference was explained by higher matrix density of the tube than the plate. This study provides reliable thermal properties of prototypic SiC composite tubes useful for fuel performance modeling of SiC-based cladding.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1814350
Journal Information:
Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Journal Issue: NA Vol. 557; ISSN 0022-3115
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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