High temperature steam oxidation dynamics of U3Si2 with alloying additions: Al, Cr, and Y

Wood, Elizabeth Sooby; Moczygemba, C.; Robles, Geronimo; Acosta, Z.; Brigham, B. A.; Grote, Christopher John; Metzger, K. E.; Cai, L.

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152072

Title: High temperature steam oxidation dynamics of U₃Si₂ with alloying additions: Al, Cr, and Y

Journal Article · Tue Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152072· OSTI ID:1604040

Wood, Elizabeth Sooby ^[1]; Moczygemba, C. ^[1]; Robles, Geronimo ^[1]; Acosta, Z. ^[1]; Brigham, B. A. ^[1]; Grote, Christopher John ^[2]; Metzger, K. E. ^[3]; Cai, L. ^[3]

Univ. of Texas, San Antonio, TX (United States)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

Uranium silicides are considered for advanced technology reactor fuels due to their enhanced thermal conductivity and high uranium density (U₃Si and U₃Si₂) compared to traditional UO₂. Susceptibility to oxidation and wash out, in the event of a cladding breech, could limit the potential for deployment of silicides as accident tolerant fuels. Mitigating the water reaction for U₃Si₂ could enable its use as an accident tolerant, high uranium density fuel or as a composite fuel constituent. Reported here is the impact of alloying additions of Al, Cr and Y on the high temperature, steam oxidation response of U₃Si₂. In addition to the thermogravimetric response, as melted microstructures, phase compositions and post oxidation analysis are also presented. Here, the investigation shows steam oxidation dynamics are altered, from non-alloyed U₃Si₂, under thermally ramped conditions. However, additional alloy development of these fuel forms is necessary for further consideration as candidate accident tolerant fuels in water-cooled reactor designs.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Electricity (OE), Advanced Grid Research & Development. Power Systems Engineering Research; Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC; National Inst. of Health

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001; CTR-PO-2018-08; NE0008824; G12MD007591

OSTI ID:: 1604040

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1603694

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-19-27149; TRN: US2104696

Journal Information:: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 533, Issue C; ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 18 works

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Uranium silicide
Accident tolerant fuel
Steam oxidation
Thermogravimetric analysis

Title: High temperature steam oxidation dynamics of U3Si2 with alloying additions: Al, Cr, and Y

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Title: High temperature steam oxidation dynamics of U₃Si₂ with alloying additions: Al, Cr, and Y