Quantification of silicon carbide grain structure in TRISO fuel by BSE image analysis
Abstract
The grain structure of the silicon carbide (SiC) layer in tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuels has commonly been qualified in fuel specifications based on a qualitative comparison to visual standards to ensure undesirable microstructure are not produced. This approach is inherently dependent on subjective judgement and provides limited data for analysis or comparison. An alternative method to rapidly quantify (i.e., provide a numeric measure of) the grain structure of the SiC layer in TRISO fuels has been developed. This method relies on the identification of silicon carbide grain boundaries based on brightness variation in backscattered electron (BSE) images through the application of automated image processing algorithms. The speed with which the requisite BSE imaging and analysis may be completed enables the practical use of this method on an industrial scale as a part of qualifying TRISO fuel to meet a given specification on silicon carbide grain structure, which is an important parameter for TRISO fuel performance. The method is benchmarked by comparison to prior Electron-Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) results for TRISO particles from the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
[1]
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- X-Energy LLC, Greenbelt, MD (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1649543
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1646730
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 533; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
Citation Formats
Helmreich, Grant, Brown, Daniel, Gerczak, Tyler J., and Hunn, John D. Quantification of silicon carbide grain structure in TRISO fuel by BSE image analysis. United States: N. p., 2020.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152075.
Helmreich, Grant, Brown, Daniel, Gerczak, Tyler J., & Hunn, John D. Quantification of silicon carbide grain structure in TRISO fuel by BSE image analysis. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152075
Helmreich, Grant, Brown, Daniel, Gerczak, Tyler J., and Hunn, John D. Fri .
"Quantification of silicon carbide grain structure in TRISO fuel by BSE image analysis". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152075. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1649543.
@article{osti_1649543,
title = {Quantification of silicon carbide grain structure in TRISO fuel by BSE image analysis},
author = {Helmreich, Grant and Brown, Daniel and Gerczak, Tyler J. and Hunn, John D.},
abstractNote = {The grain structure of the silicon carbide (SiC) layer in tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuels has commonly been qualified in fuel specifications based on a qualitative comparison to visual standards to ensure undesirable microstructure are not produced. This approach is inherently dependent on subjective judgement and provides limited data for analysis or comparison. An alternative method to rapidly quantify (i.e., provide a numeric measure of) the grain structure of the SiC layer in TRISO fuels has been developed. This method relies on the identification of silicon carbide grain boundaries based on brightness variation in backscattered electron (BSE) images through the application of automated image processing algorithms. The speed with which the requisite BSE imaging and analysis may be completed enables the practical use of this method on an industrial scale as a part of qualifying TRISO fuel to meet a given specification on silicon carbide grain structure, which is an important parameter for TRISO fuel performance. The method is benchmarked by comparison to prior Electron-Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) results for TRISO particles from the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) program.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152075},
journal = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},
number = 1,
volume = 533,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2020},
month = {Fri Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2020}
}
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