NSUF 10-225: Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction Measurements of Spatially Resolved Strain Fields in Nuclear Fuel Plates
The objectives of this research are to use synchrotron X-ray diffraction to measure the depth resolved residual stress in nuclear fuel plates. The X-ray diffraction technique will allow for the quantification of residual strain (therefore stress) depth profiles with sub-millimeter resolution in the fuel plates. The fuel plates that will be examined are monolithic fuel consisting of a UMo alloy foil encased in 6061-Al alloy cladding via HIPing. It is of great interest to quantify and minimize the residual stresses that are present in monolithic fuel after HIPing since these stresses may affect fuel performance in the reactor. A parametric study will be conducted on the HIPing conditions (bonding temperature and cooling rate) to help to quantify the residual stresses introduced during this fabrication process. For this investigation the plates will utilize depleted U (DU). Reference specimens, consisting of the bare DU foil and 6061-Al cladding, will also be compared. These results will be compared to synergistic, ongoing activities such as positron annihilation, neutron diffraction, and finite element modeling of the fuel plates.This research will contribute to the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field primarily in two ways. (1) It will allow for the direct connection of quantified, depth resolved residual strain/stress via synchrotron X-ray diffraction, spatially resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy, neutron diffraction, and finite element modeling, which has not previously been done. These findings can potentially be extended to many types of materials. (2) The correlation of these techniques will assist in the fuel fabrication processes by helping to determine the optimal HIPing parameters to minimize the residual stress induced during the process, which is also a unique application. An estimated 3 days will be necessary to measure the 15 specimens. Measurements will be performed in selected areas on the plates/foils.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The objectives of this research are to use synchrotron X-ray diffraction to measure the depth resolved residual stress in nuclear fuel plates. The X-ray diffraction technique will allow for the quantification of residual strain (therefore stress) depth profiles with sub-millimeter resolution in the fuel plates. The fuel plates that will be examined are monolithic fuel consisting of a UMo alloy foil encased in 6061-Al alloy cladding via HIPing. It is of great interest to quantify and minimize the residual stresses that are present in monolithic fuel after HIPing since these stresses may affect fuel performance in the reactor. A parametric study will be conducted on the HIPing conditions (bonding temperature and cooling rate) to help to quantify the residual stresses introduced during this fabrication process. For this investigation the plates will utilize depleted U (DU). Reference specimens, consisting of the bare DU foil and 6061-Al cladding, will also be compared. These results will be compared to synergistic, ongoing activities such as positron annihilation, neutron diffraction, and finite element modeling of the fuel plates.This research will contribute to the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field primarily in two ways. (1) It will allow for the direct connection of quantified, depth resolved residual strain/stress via synchrotron X-ray diffraction, spatially resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy, neutron diffraction, and finite element modeling, which has not previously been done. These findings can potentially be extended to many types of materials. (2) The correlation of these techniques will assist in the fuel fabrication processes by helping to determine the optimal HIPing parameters to minimize the residual stress induced during the process, which is also a unique application. An estimated 3 days will be necessary to measure the 15 specimens. Measurements will be performed in selected areas on the plates/foils. |
| Award Announced Date | 2009-12-03T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | Idaho National Laboratory |
| Facility | Advanced Test Reactor |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Jeff Terry, Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Maria Okuniewski |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | APS |
| RTE Number | 225 |