NSUF 17-944: Pre-characterization of DISECT UMo fuel samples
Nuclear low-enriched uranium based fuels with a high uranium density are needed for high performance research reactors. Monolithic uranium molybdenum (UMo) is one fuel candidate that has the potential to replace highly enriched fuels, but it has exhibited anomalous swelling behavior at increased burn ups due to the process of recrystallization, or restructuring of the microstructure. The Disc Irradiation for Separate Effects Testing with Control of Temperature (DISECT) project will isolate the effects of separate parameters on recrystallization. The project is an international collaboration between the US and Belgium, with participation from two national labs (Idaho National Laboratory, SCK-CEN) and two universities (Purdue University, Ghent University). The objective of this rapid turnaround experiment is to perform pre-characterization of eight UMo fuel samples that will be irradiated as part of the DISECT project. The current hypothesis is that the initial fuel grain size and the gradient of Mo content at the grain boundaries enhance recrystallization. Therefore, the fuel samples that will be analyzed in this experiment will have a varied composition (%Mo) and tailored microstructure. The microstructure will be tailored during fabrication at Idaho National Laboratory using a combination of heat treatments, casting techniques, and rolling. This experiment will use instruments at the MaCS facility for pre-characterization of the eight UMo samples. The Focused Ion Beam with EDS/EBSD/Omniprobe and the FEI Technai TR30-FEG ST win STEM will be used to perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample microstructure and composition. The results from the pre-characterization will serve to evaluate the success of these fabrication techniques in tailoring the microstructure. The results will also act as the representation of the samples before irradiation and will eventually be compared to those from the post-irradiation examination in order to draw conclusions about the process of recrystallization. The pre-characterization will ideally be performed during approximately one week in summer of 2017.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Nuclear low-enriched uranium based fuels with a high uranium density are needed for high performance research reactors. Monolithic uranium molybdenum (UMo) is one fuel candidate that has the potential to replace highly enriched fuels, but it has exhibited anomalous swelling behavior at increased burn ups due to the process of recrystallization, or restructuring of the microstructure. The Disc Irradiation for Separate Effects Testing with Control of Temperature (DISECT) project will isolate the effects of separate parameters on recrystallization. The project is an international collaboration between the US and Belgium, with participation from two national labs (Idaho National Laboratory, SCK-CEN) and two universities (Purdue University, Ghent University). The objective of this rapid turnaround experiment is to perform pre-characterization of eight UMo fuel samples that will be irradiated as part of the DISECT project. The current hypothesis is that the initial fuel grain size and the gradient of Mo content at the grain boundaries enhance recrystallization. Therefore, the fuel samples that will be analyzed in this experiment will have a varied composition (%Mo) and tailored microstructure. The microstructure will be tailored during fabrication at Idaho National Laboratory using a combination of heat treatments, casting techniques, and rolling. This experiment will use instruments at the MaCS facility for pre-characterization of the eight UMo samples. The Focused Ion Beam with EDS/EBSD/Omniprobe and the FEI Technai TR30-FEG ST win STEM will be used to perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample microstructure and composition. The results from the pre-characterization will serve to evaluate the success of these fabrication techniques in tailoring the microstructure. The results will also act as the representation of the samples before irradiation and will eventually be compared to those from the post-irradiation examination in order to draw conclusions about the process of recrystallization. The pre-characterization will ideally be performed during approximately one week in summer of 2017. |
| Award Announced Date | 2017-04-26T10:07:55.2 |
| Awarded Institution | Center for Advanced Energy Studies |
| Facility | Microscopy and Characterization Suite |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Alicia Raftery |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 944 |