NSUF 19-1691: Thermal Driven Grain Growth and Fission Gas Bubble Coarsening in Nano-grain Sized U3Si2
U3Si2 is an advanced fuel form with enhanced thermal conductivity and higher uranium density compared to UO2. We are proposing to study the grain growth and fission gas bubble coarsening behavior of nano-grain sized U3Si2 under thermal driven conditions. The primary goal is to derive activation energy for grain growth of nano-grain sized U3Si2 and determine the governing mechanism at conditions relevant to light water reactor application. Specifically, TEM lamellas will be prepared from nano-grain sized bulk U3Si2 pellet with and without 84 MeV Xe irradiation to 1% peak atomic concentration. Pure thermal driven grain growth and gas bubble coarsening experiment up to 1300 °C will be studied using a heating holder on FEI Titan with ChemiSTEM capabilities located at IMCL-INL. Derived grain growth activation energy and Xe gas bubble coarsening behavior will serve as critical experimental data to facilitate the development of MARMOT in NEAM program.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Abstract | U3Si2 is an advanced fuel form with enhanced thermal conductivity and higher uranium density compared to UO2. We are proposing to study the grain growth and fission gas bubble coarsening behavior of nano-grain sized U3Si2 under thermal driven conditions. The primary goal is to derive activation energy for grain growth of nano-grain sized U3Si2 and determine the governing mechanism at conditions relevant to light water reactor application. Specifically, TEM lamellas will be prepared from nano-grain sized bulk U3Si2 pellet with and without 84 MeV Xe irradiation to 1% peak atomic concentration. Pure thermal driven grain growth and gas bubble coarsening experiment up to 1300 °C will be studied using a heating holder on FEI Titan with ChemiSTEM capabilities located at IMCL-INL. Derived grain growth activation energy and Xe gas bubble coarsening behavior will serve as critical experimental data to facilitate the development of MARMOT in NEAM program. |
| Award Announced Date | 2019-02-08T00:00:00 |
| Awarded Institution | None |
| Facility | None |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Zackrone |
| Irradiation Facility | None |
| PI | Tiankai Yao |
| PI Email | [email protected] |
| Project Type | RTE |
| RTE Number | 1691 |