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Title: Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility

Abstract

As part of an overall effort to convert US research reactors to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel use, a LEU conversion fuel is being designed for the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at the Idaho National Laboratory. TREAT fuel compacts are comprised of UO2 fuel particles in a graphitic matrix material. In order to refine heat transfer modeling, as well as determine other physical and nuclear characteristics of the fuel, the amount and type of graphite and non-graphite phases within the fuel matrix must be known. In this study, we performed a series of complementary analyses, designed to allow detailed characterization of the graphite and phenolic resin based fuel matrix. Methods included Scanning Electron and Transmission Electron Microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Dual-Beam Focused Ion Beam Tomography. Our results indicate that no single characterization technique will yield all of the desired information; however, through the use of statistical and empirical data analysis, such as curve fitting, partial least squares regression, volume extrapolation and spectra peak ratios, a degree of certainty for the quantity of each phase can be obtained.

Authors:
; ORCiD logo; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
OSTI Identifier:
1358203
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-16-37606
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (NFSM-2016), New Orleans, June 12–15, 2016
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS; TREAT LEU fuel conversion, Graphite phases, charac

Citation Formats

Steele, Robert, Mata Cruz, Angelica, Dunzik-Gougar, Mary Lou, and van Rooyen, Isabella. Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility. United States: N. p., 2016. Web.
Steele, Robert, Mata Cruz, Angelica, Dunzik-Gougar, Mary Lou, & van Rooyen, Isabella. Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility. United States.
Steele, Robert, Mata Cruz, Angelica, Dunzik-Gougar, Mary Lou, and van Rooyen, Isabella. 2016. "Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1358203.
@article{osti_1358203,
title = {Identification and Quantification of Carbon Phases in Conversion Fuel for the Transient Reactor Test Facility},
author = {Steele, Robert and Mata Cruz, Angelica and Dunzik-Gougar, Mary Lou and van Rooyen, Isabella},
abstractNote = {As part of an overall effort to convert US research reactors to low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel use, a LEU conversion fuel is being designed for the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at the Idaho National Laboratory. TREAT fuel compacts are comprised of UO2 fuel particles in a graphitic matrix material. In order to refine heat transfer modeling, as well as determine other physical and nuclear characteristics of the fuel, the amount and type of graphite and non-graphite phases within the fuel matrix must be known. In this study, we performed a series of complementary analyses, designed to allow detailed characterization of the graphite and phenolic resin based fuel matrix. Methods included Scanning Electron and Transmission Electron Microscopies, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and Dual-Beam Focused Ion Beam Tomography. Our results indicate that no single characterization technique will yield all of the desired information; however, through the use of statistical and empirical data analysis, such as curve fitting, partial least squares regression, volume extrapolation and spectra peak ratios, a degree of certainty for the quantity of each phase can be obtained.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1358203}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

Conference:
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