Exploration of LIBS as a novel and rapid elemental mapping technique of nuclear fuels in the form of surrogate TRISO particles

Manard, Benjamin T.; Andrews, Hunter B.; Quarles, C. Derrick; Bradley, Veronica C.; Doyle, Peter; Zirakparvar, N. Alex; Dunlap, Daniel R.; Hexel, Cole R.

doi:10.1039/d3ja00034f

Title: Exploration of LIBS as a novel and rapid elemental mapping technique of nuclear fuels in the form of surrogate TRISO particles

Journal Article · 15 May 2023 · Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ja00034f · OSTI ID:1976035

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Radioisotope Science and Technology Division
Elemental Scientific Inc., Omaha, NE (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was employed to characterize coatings on surrogate fuel particles. Tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particles are a proposed nuclear fuel alternative for high temperature reactors. These particles are constructed of a ZrO₂ kernel (as a surrogate to uranium), surrounded by an inner pyrolytic carbon layer and are surrounded by an outer carbide layer (ZrC, presented here) to act as a barrier to fission products generated during nuclear reactions. These particles are embedded within a graphite compact and housed within the reactor core. Simply put, due to their robust nature, performing elemental analysis of these particles poses a challenge. Presented here, LIBS is explored as a method for characterizing elemental constituents of these particles, with the focus being on rapid elemental mapping and depth profiling. Different from traditional elemental analysis techniques (e.g., inductively coupled plasma – based methods), LIBS is advantageous because it can directly analyze the sample surface and can detect light elements such as C and O, making it a viable technique for the analysis of small, multilayered particles as spatial elemental information is warranted in the production of these particles. In the work presented here, LIBS was successfully used for discerning small layers (30–50 μm), detecting the location of carbon and oxygen layers, providing fast 2-D mapping (<5 min per particle) and rapid depth profiling (10 s per particle).

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 1976035

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1975407

Journal Information:: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, Journal Name: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 38; ISSN 0267-9477

Publisher:: Royal Society of ChemistryCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
TRISO particles
LIBS imaging
elemental mapping
depth profiling
nuclear

Title: Exploration of LIBS as a novel and rapid elemental mapping technique of nuclear fuels in the form of surrogate TRISO particles

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