Rare Earth Carbide (Nd-C and Ce-C) Synthesis and Characterization to Inform Phase Equilibrium in Advanced Nuclear Fuels

Cavazos, Steven J.; Younus, Sabiha; Uresti-Mireles, Jesus; Sooby, Elizabeth S.; Piro, Markus H. A.

doi:10.3390/met14121322

Title: Rare Earth Carbide (Nd-C and Ce-C) Synthesis and Characterization to Inform Phase Equilibrium in Advanced Nuclear Fuels

Journal Article · 21 November 2024 · Metals

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/met14121322 · OSTI ID:2478548

; Younus, Sabiha; Uresti-Mireles, Jesus;

; Piro, Markus H. A.

As advances are being made regarding the performance of nuclear fuels, uranium carbides, and composites, such as (U,Zr)C and UO2 + UCx, have recently gained significant interest for deployment in nuclear space propulsion and high temperature gas-cooled reactors, respectively. However, the phase equilibria of several fission products in carbide systems remain unknown and may impact the overall fuel performance, specifically for particle nuclear fuels that are designed for commercial nuclear energy. Furthermore, comprehensive thermodynamic data on Rare Earth (RE) carbides, such as the Nd-C and Ce-C binary systems, remain limited. Presented in this study are the synthesis methods and characterizations of several Nd-C and Ce-C compositions. The findings from this research provide insights on the stability of RE-C binaries that form in irradiated nuclear fuels and address a critical knowledge gap in the current state of thermodynamics for two key RE-C systems.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NE0008998

OSTI ID:: 2478548

Journal Information:: Metals, Journal Name: Metals Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 14; ISSN MBSEC7; ISSN 2075-4701

Publisher:: MDPI AGCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Switzerland

Language:: English

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