Fuel-cladding chemical interaction of a prototype annular U-10Zr fuel with Fe-12Cr ferritic/martensitic HT-9 cladding

Liu, Xiang; Capriotti, Luca; Yao, Tiankai; Harp, Jason M.; Benson, Michael T.; Wang, Yachun; Teng, Fei; He, Lingfeng

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152588

Title: Fuel-cladding chemical interaction of a prototype annular U-10Zr fuel with Fe-12Cr ferritic/martensitic HT-9 cladding

Journal Article · Wed Oct 20 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152588· OSTI ID:1924258

^[1];

^[1]; Yao, Tiankai ^[1];

^[2]; Benson, Michael T. ^[1]; Wang, Yachun ^[1]; Teng, Fei ^[1]; He, Lingfeng ^[1]

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

As an alternative fuel form, the annular metallic fuel design eliminates the liquid sodium bond between the fuel and the cladding, providing back-end fuel cycle and other benefits. The fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) of annular fuel also presents new features. In this work, state-of-the-art electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques were used to study the FCCI of a prototype annular U-10wt%Zr (U-10Zr) fuel with ferritic/martensitic HT-9 cladding irradiated to 3.3% fission per initial heavy atom. Compared with sodium-bonded solid fuels, negligible amounts of lanthanides were found in the FCCI layer in the investigated helium-bonded annular fuel. Instead, most lanthanides were retained in the newly formed UZr₂ phase in the fuel center region. The interdiffusion of iron and uranium resulted in tetragonal (U,Zr)₆Fe phase (space group I4/mcm) and cubic (U,Zr)(Fe,Cr)₂ phase (space group Fd $\bar{3}$ m). The (U,Zr)(Fe,Cr)₂phase contains a high density of voids and intergranular uranium monocarbides of NaCl-type crystal structure (space group Fm $\bar{3}$ m). At the interdiffusion zone and inner cladding interface, a porous lamellar structure composed of alternating Cr-rich layers and U-rich layers was observed. Next to the lamellar region, the unexpected phase transformation from body-centered cubic ferrite (α-Fe) to tetragonal binary Fe-Cr σ phase (space group P4₂/mnm) occurred, and tetragonal Fe-Cr-U-Si phase (space group I4/mmm) was identified. Due to the diffusion of carbon into the interdiffusion zone, carbon depletion inside the HT-9 led to the disappearance of the martensite lath structure, and intergranular U-rich carbides formed as a result of the diffusion of uranium into the cladding. These detailed new findings reveal the unique features of the FCCI behavior of annular U-Zr fuels, which could be a promising alternative fuel form for high burnup fast reactor applications.

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Research Organization:: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

Grant/Contract Number:: DE-AC07-05ID14517; AC07-051D14517

OSTI ID:: 1924258

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1787974

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-19-57010-Rev000; TRN: US2312496

Journal Information:: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 544, Issue -; ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Fuel-cladding chemical interaction of a prototype annular U-10Zr fuel with Fe-12Cr ferritic/martensitic HT-9 cladding

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