Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test

Hunn, John D.; Baldwin, Charles A.; Montgomery, Fred C.; Gerczak, Tyler J.; Morris, Robert Noel; Helmreich, Grant W.; Demkowicz, Paul; Harp, Jason; Stempien, John

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017

Title: Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test

Abstract

Post-irradiation examination was completed on two as-irradiated compacts from the US Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program’s second irradiation test. These compacts were selected for examination because there were indications that they may have contained particles that released cesium through a failed or defective SiC layer. The coated particles were recovered from these compacts by electrolytic deconsolidation of the surrounding graphitic matrix in nitric acid. The leach-burn-leach (LBL) process was used to dissolve and analyze exposed metallic elements (actinides and fission products), and each particle was individually surveyed for relative cesium retention with the Irradiated Microsphere Gamma Analyzer (IMGA). Data from IMGA and LBL examinations provided information on fission product release during irradiation and whether any specific particles had below-average retention that could be related to coating layer defects or radiation-induced degradation. A few selected normal-retention particles and six with abnormally-low cesium inventory were analyzed using X-ray tomography to produce three-dimensional images of the internal coating structure. Four of the low-cesium particles had obviously damaged or degraded SiC, and X-ray imaging was able to guide subsequent grinding and polishing to expose the regions of interest for analysis by optical and electron microscopy. Additional particles from each compact weremore »« less

Authors:

^[1]; Baldwin, Charles A. ^[1];

^[1];

^[1]; Demkowicz, Paul ^[2]; Harp, Jason ^[2]; Stempien, John ^[2]

Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Publication Date:: Sat Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2017

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1435300

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Nuclear Engineering and Design

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 329; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5493

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; High-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) fuel; Tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particles; Post-irradiation examination (PIE); Cesium release; SiC failure

Citation Formats


                    Hunn, John D., Baldwin, Charles A., Montgomery, Fred C., Gerczak, Tyler J., Morris, Robert Noel, Helmreich, Grant W., Demkowicz, Paul, Harp, Jason, and Stempien, John. Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017.

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                    Hunn, John D., Baldwin, Charles A., Montgomery, Fred C., Gerczak, Tyler J., Morris, Robert Noel, Helmreich, Grant W., Demkowicz, Paul, Harp, Jason, & Stempien, John. Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017

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                    Hunn, John D., Baldwin, Charles A., Montgomery, Fred C., Gerczak, Tyler J., Morris, Robert Noel, Helmreich, Grant W., Demkowicz, Paul, Harp, Jason, and Stempien, John. Sat .  
"Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1435300.

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@article{osti_1435300,

  title        = {Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test},

  author       = {Hunn, John D. and Baldwin, Charles A. and Montgomery, Fred C. and Gerczak, Tyler J. and Morris, Robert Noel and Helmreich, Grant W. and Demkowicz, Paul and Harp, Jason and Stempien, John},

  abstractNote = {Post-irradiation examination was completed on two as-irradiated compacts from the US Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program’s second irradiation test. These compacts were selected for examination because there were indications that they may have contained particles that released cesium through a failed or defective SiC layer. The coated particles were recovered from these compacts by electrolytic deconsolidation of the surrounding graphitic matrix in nitric acid. The leach-burn-leach (LBL) process was used to dissolve and analyze exposed metallic elements (actinides and fission products), and each particle was individually surveyed for relative cesium retention with the Irradiated Microsphere Gamma Analyzer (IMGA). Data from IMGA and LBL examinations provided information on fission product release during irradiation and whether any specific particles had below-average retention that could be related to coating layer defects or radiation-induced degradation. A few selected normal-retention particles and six with abnormally-low cesium inventory were analyzed using X-ray tomography to produce three-dimensional images of the internal coating structure. Four of the low-cesium particles had obviously damaged or degraded SiC, and X-ray imaging was able to guide subsequent grinding and polishing to expose the regions of interest for analysis by optical and electron microscopy. Additional particles from each compact were also sectioned and examined to study the overall radiation-induced microstructural changes in the kernel and coating layers.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017},

  journal      = {Nuclear Engineering and Design},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 329,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sat Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2017},

  month        = {Sat Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2017}

}

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.09.017

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Works referenced in this record:

First elevated-temperature performance testing of coated particle fuel compacts from the AGR-1 irradiation experiment
journal, May 2014

Baldwin, Charles A.; Hunn, John D.; Morris, Robert N.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 271
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.11.021

Irradiation performance of AGR-1 high temperature reactor fuel
journal, September 2016

Demkowicz, Paul A.; Hunn, John D.; Ploger, Scott A.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 306
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.09.011

Status of the NGNP fuel experiment AGR-2 irradiated in the advanced test reactor
journal, May 2014

Grover, S. Blaine; Petti, David A.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 271
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.11.038

Detection and analysis of particles with failed SiC in AGR-1 fuel compacts
journal, September 2016

Hunn, John D.; Baldwin, Charles A.; Gerczak, Tyler J.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 306
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2015.12.011

Performance of AGR-1 high-temperature reactor fuel during post-irradiation heating tests
journal, September 2016

Morris, Robert N.; Baldwin, Charles A.; Demkowicz, Paul A.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 306
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2016.04.031

The DOE advanced gas reactor fuel development and qualification program
journal, September 2010

Petti, David; Maki, John; Hunn, John
JOM, Vol. 62, Issue 9
DOI: 10.1007/s11837-010-0140-5

Microscopic analysis of irradiated AGR-1 coated particle fuel compacts
journal, May 2014

Ploger, Scott A.; Demkowicz, Paul A.; Hunn, John D.
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 271
DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2013.11.036

Works referencing / citing this record:

A novel method to inspect coating thickness of tristructural isotropic fuel particles
journal, February 2019

Guo, Man-shan; Yang, Xu; Zhang, Feng
International Journal of Energy Research, Vol. 43, Issue 6
DOI: 10.1002/er.4392

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Title: Initial examination of fuel compacts and TRISO particles from the US AGR-2 irradiation test

Abstract

Citation Formats

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