NSUF 19-1649: 3D Microstructure Reconstruction of the Peripheral Region of MOX FBR Fuel
The structural and chemical components of a fuel are important aspects to understand when trying to predict long-term performance. The high burn-up structure (HBS) in MOX poses a threat to safe reactor operation due to its potential to release massive amounts of fission gas at increased burn-ups. This project strives to reconstruct the HBS region in MOX fuel irradiated to a burn-up of 13.7% fissions per initial metal atoms (FIMA). A focused ion beam / scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) coupled with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors will be used to serially section the fuel while obtaining micrographs and scans of each section. The data acquired from the sectioning will then be used to reconstruct a comprehensive 3D representation of the microstructure. This reconstruction will then be incorporated into the MARMOT mesoscale nuclear materials tool to measure the fuel’s response under different irradiation conditions. Once complete, this project will provide an accurate model depicting the microstructural and microchemical characteristics of the MOX HBS. This project will significantly advance the current understanding of MOX fuel, with the potential of improving the accuracy of predictive models.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | The structural and chemical components of a fuel are important aspects to understand when trying to predict long-term performance. The high burn-up structure (HBS) in MOX poses a threat to safe reactor operation due to its potential to release massive amounts of fission gas at increased burn-ups. This project strives to reconstruct the HBS region in MOX fuel irradiated to a burn-up of 13.7% fissions per initial metal atoms (FIMA). A focused ion beam / scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM) coupled with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors will be used to serially section the fuel while obtaining micrographs and scans of each section. The data acquired from the sectioning will then be used to reconstruct a comprehensive 3D representation of the microstructure. This reconstruction will then be incorporated into the MARMOT mesoscale nuclear materials tool to measure the fuel’s response under different irradiation conditions. Once complete, this project will provide an accurate model depicting the microstructural and microchemical characteristics of the MOX HBS. This project will significantly advance the current understanding of MOX fuel, with the potential of improving the accuracy of predictive models. |
| Award Announced Date | 2019-02-08T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | University of Wisconsin |
| Facility | University of Wisconsin Ion Beam Laboratory |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone, Kumar Sridharan |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Casey McKinney |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1649 |