NSUF 13-409: Electron Backscatter Diffraction and Atom Probe Tomography to Study Krypton Segregation Behavior in Uranium Dioxide
It is widely known that microstructural changes influence the thermal performance of nuclear fuels. One mechanism that plays a pivotal role in the microstructural evolution of fuel is the segregation behavior of insoluble fission products, such as krypton (Kr) in uranium dioxide (UO2) towards specific grain boundaries. Changes in the microstructure, specifically the addition of Kr, lead to a change in the efficiency of the transport of phonons or lattice vibrations. Micro level experiments are needed to help explain the role grain boundary character play on segregation behavior of Kr, which alter fuel chemistry and thus the thermal transport properties in UO2. The objective of this proposed research is to study the effect of grain boundary character on the microstructure of nuclear fuel. The goal is to elucidate the fundamental material-physics underlying the connection between the fission products segregation and microstructural evolution. The proposed research utilizes electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and atom probe tomography (APT) to study grain boundary dependent Kr segregation in polycrystalline UO2. In order to characterize grain boundary character and changes in concentration across the grain boundary of interest in UO2, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with atom probe tomography available at CAES will be used. Samples will be prepared by conventional techniques for EBSD. [1] Samples will be studied in early Spring 2013. Final results will then be published in peer- reviewed journal articles. It is expected that these results will provide new insight into the grain boundary character dependence on insoluble fission products (Kr) segregation in UO2, allowing for the correlation with atomic-level simulations and/or the ability to link with mesoscale structure-property relationships. References [1] P. V. Nerikar, et. al. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 94 [6] 1893-1900 (2011)
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | It is widely known that microstructural changes influence the thermal performance of nuclear fuels. One mechanism that plays a pivotal role in the microstructural evolution of fuel is the segregation behavior of insoluble fission products, such as krypton (Kr) in uranium dioxide (UO2) towards specific grain boundaries. Changes in the microstructure, specifically the addition of Kr, lead to a change in the efficiency of the transport of phonons or lattice vibrations. Micro level experiments are needed to help explain the role grain boundary character play on segregation behavior of Kr, which alter fuel chemistry and thus the thermal transport properties in UO2. The objective of this proposed research is to study the effect of grain boundary character on the microstructure of nuclear fuel. The goal is to elucidate the fundamental material-physics underlying the connection between the fission products segregation and microstructural evolution. The proposed research utilizes electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and atom probe tomography (APT) to study grain boundary dependent Kr segregation in polycrystalline UO2. In order to characterize grain boundary character and changes in concentration across the grain boundary of interest in UO2, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in conjunction with atom probe tomography available at CAES will be used. Samples will be prepared by conventional techniques for EBSD. [1] Samples will be studied in early Spring 2013. Final results will then be published in peer- reviewed journal articles. It is expected that these results will provide new insight into the grain boundary character dependence on insoluble fission products (Kr) segregation in UO2, allowing for the correlation with atomic-level simulations and/or the ability to link with mesoscale structure-property relationships. References [1] P. V. Nerikar, et. al. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 94 [6] 1893-1900 (2011) |
| Award Announced Date | 2013-06-13T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | Idaho National Laboratory |
| Facility | Advanced Test Reactor |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Ayman Hawari , Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Michele Manuel |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 409 |