NSUF 17-957: Fission Gas Behavior and Fuel Swelling of Accident Tolerant U3Si2 Fuels by Ion Beam Irradiation
U3Si2 fuel is the leading candidate of the accident tolerant fuels (ATFs), alternative to the current UO2 fuel form for light water reactors, due to its significantly higher thermal conductivity and higher fissile element density. Extensive development of U3Si2 as a dispersion fuel for research reactors has been performed. However, fission gas behavior and volumetric swelling of U3Si2 in rod-type under relevant LWR reactor conditions are largely unknown. Various experiments are planned to investigate the fuel characteristics and behavior by the FCRD and ATF programs, e.g., silicide fuel fabrication, properties characterization and fuel performance evaluation. Potentially-important behaviors in U3Si2 that are not being investigated by FCRD including radiation-induced amorphization, grain growth, and possible grain subdivision. Fission gas behavior and fuel swelling is one of those unsolved problems as well. U3Si2 fuel is identified as a high impact program (HIP) under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling & Simulation (NEAMS) in developing high fidelity multi-physics models to predict fuel performance, and critical experiment data are needed in order to validate fuel modeling.
Upon the joint support of a FY16 awarded DOE NEUP project (16-10667, PI participated), a coupled experimental and theoretical approach was proposed to fill the knowledge gap by investigating radiation-induced amorphization, grain subdivision and grain coarsening of U3Si2 fuels at relevant LWR conditions. A NSUF RTE project (17-835) was awarded through a collaboration between RPI and INL by the same research team in using CAES and IVEM-Tandem facilities and performing radiation response with the focus on radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision. Radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision were observed in silicides upon 1 MeV Kr2+ ion irradiation at room temperature and 300 keV Xe irradiation at 350 oC (see preliminary results), respectively. Currently, two manuscripts are being prepared for journal publications that document the radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision.
Accompanying with the grain subdivision, we also observed the formation of high density nano-sized Xe bubbles and bubble coalescence with increased radiation damage levels in Xe-irradiated U3Si2 at 350 °C. However, detailed understanding of fission gas behavior and fuel swelling, and their temperature dependence are not yet achieved and experiments are not planned. In this NSUF RTE project, we proposed to continue ion beam irradiation by IVEM-Tandem facility at ANL in order to gain complete understanding of the fission gas bubble behavior and fuel swelling at the anticipated higher temperature for U3Si2 fuel in LWR conditions. i.e. 530 and 700 °C to high irradiation dose (~ 100 dpa) and Xe concentrations. Combined with data we obtained so far, a complete understanding of fission gas behavior and fuel swelling as functions of radiation damage, damage rate and temperature can be envisioned, and these experimental data could be valuable to support development of U3Si2 fuels as a potential high uranium density accident tolerant fuel and validate computational fuel modeling.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | U3Si2 fuel is the leading candidate of the accident tolerant fuels (ATFs), alternative to the current UO2 fuel form for light water reactors, due to its significantly higher thermal conductivity and higher fissile element density. Extensive development of U3Si2 as a dispersion fuel for research reactors has been performed. However, fission gas behavior and volumetric swelling of U3Si2 in rod-type under relevant LWR reactor conditions are largely unknown. Various experiments are planned to investigate the fuel characteristics and behavior by the FCRD and ATF programs, e.g., silicide fuel fabrication, properties characterization and fuel performance evaluation. Potentially-important behaviors in U3Si2 that are not being investigated by FCRD including radiation-induced amorphization, grain growth, and possible grain subdivision. Fission gas behavior and fuel swelling is one of those unsolved problems as well. U3Si2 fuel is identified as a high impact program (HIP) under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling & Simulation (NEAMS) in developing high fidelity multi-physics models to predict fuel performance, and critical experiment data are needed in order to validate fuel modeling. Upon the joint support of a FY16 awarded DOE NEUP project (16-10667, PI participated), a coupled experimental and theoretical approach was proposed to fill the knowledge gap by investigating radiation-induced amorphization, grain subdivision and grain coarsening of U3Si2 fuels at relevant LWR conditions. A NSUF RTE project (17-835) was awarded through a collaboration between RPI and INL by the same research team in using CAES and IVEM-Tandem facilities and performing radiation response with the focus on radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision. Radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision were observed in silicides upon 1 MeV Kr2+ ion irradiation at room temperature and 300 keV Xe irradiation at 350 oC (see preliminary results), respectively. Currently, two manuscripts are being prepared for journal publications that document the radiation-induced amorphization and grain subdivision. Accompanying with the grain subdivision, we also observed the formation of high density nano-sized Xe bubbles and bubble coalescence with increased radiation damage levels in Xe-irradiated U3Si2 at 350 °C. However, detailed understanding of fission gas behavior and fuel swelling, and their temperature dependence are not yet achieved and experiments are not planned. In this NSUF RTE project, we proposed to continue ion beam irradiation by IVEM-Tandem facility at ANL in order to gain complete understanding of the fission gas bubble behavior and fuel swelling at the anticipated higher temperature for U3Si2 fuel in LWR conditions. i.e. 530 and 700 °C to high irradiation dose (~ 100 dpa) and Xe concentrations. Combined with data we obtained so far, a complete understanding of fission gas behavior and fuel swelling as functions of radiation damage, damage rate and temperature can be envisioned, and these experimental data could be valuable to support development of U3Si2 fuels as a potential high uranium density accident tolerant fuel and validate computational fuel modeling. |
| Award Announced Date | 2017-04-26T10:14:02.273 |
| Awarded Institution | Center for Advanced Energy Studies |
| Facility | Microscopy and Characterization Suite |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Wei-Ying Chen, Yaqiao Wu |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Jie Lian |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 957 |