NSUF 23-4753: Characterization of fluff region in a EBR-II metallic fuel pin

This proposal aims at investigating axial swelling behavior in metallic fuels for sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR). Specifically, it looks at understanding the microstructure and formation mechanisms of the highly porous structure found at the top of metal fuel pins after irradiation currently named “fluff”. Fluff is not well understood, and has the potential to impact the reactivity of SFR systems. This project will require access to NSUF facilities at the Material Fuel Complex (MFC) in the Irradiated Material Characterization Laboratory (IMCL). The plan is to use the Plasma Focus Ion Beam (PFIB) to trench and lift out specimens from a highly radioactive EBR-II fuel sample then use Micro X-Ray Computed Tomography (micro-XCT) to generate a 3D reconstruction of the fluff region. Following this, the PFIB will be used to perform 3D slices of the specimens and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) will be used to determine isotopic data of key regions identified during the micro-XCT. The combination of a 3D reconstruction of the fluff structure and fine isotopic data will provide insight into fluff formation mechanics and be a first step in creating predictive capabilities for fluff formation in the future.

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Поле	Стойност
Abstract	This proposal aims at investigating axial swelling behavior in metallic fuels for sodium cooled fast reactors (SFR). Specifically, it looks at understanding the microstructure and formation mechanisms of the highly porous structure found at the top of metal fuel pins after irradiation currently named “fluff”. Fluff is not well understood, and has the potential to impact the reactivity of SFR systems. This project will require access to NSUF facilities at the Material Fuel Complex (MFC) in the Irradiated Material Characterization Laboratory (IMCL). The plan is to use the Plasma Focus Ion Beam (PFIB) to trench and lift out specimens from a highly radioactive EBR-II fuel sample then use Micro X-Ray Computed Tomography (micro-XCT) to generate a 3D reconstruction of the fluff region. Following this, the PFIB will be used to perform 3D slices of the specimens and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) will be used to determine isotopic data of key regions identified during the micro-XCT. The combination of a 3D reconstruction of the fluff structure and fine isotopic data will provide insight into fluff formation mechanics and be a first step in creating predictive capabilities for fluff formation in the future.
Award Announced Date	2023-09-14T13:37:24.597
Awarded Institution	None
Facility	None
Facility Tech Lead	Alina Zackrone
Irradiation Facility	None
PI	Jake Fay
PI Email	[email protected]
Project Type	RTE
RTE Number	None