NSUF 24-4972: In-situ TEM Characterization of surrogate oxides microstructure under fission gas retention and reactor-relevant temperatures using ion beam implantation

The evolution of fission gas (FG) products is the basis of several degradation mechanisms in nuclear fuel such as creep, swelling, cracking, and decline in thermal conductivity. Predicting and understanding gas bubble pressure evolution is a key factor in both designing improved fuels and predicting service lifetime of fuel pellets. Nucleation of grain boundary disconnections could be an important rate limiting kinetic step in the process of gas bubble nucleation. If successful, this research will provide crucial data regarding the migration, growth and nucleation kinetics of fission gases evolution, and specifically on the pressure build-up inside a bubble which is not fully understood. . This will assist in predicting the underlying mechanism of fuel degradation manifested in the phenomena listed above. The study will employ the implantations of Kr ions in 10 bi-crystal surrogate oxide samples to be studied in the period of 10 days (specifically, alumina, zirconia, magnesia and UO2) while using in-situ TEM in plan-view to image bubble growth and the strain mediating grain boundary disconnections that are necessary to enable the strain caused by the bubble growth.

추가 정보

필드	값
Award Announced Date	2024-05-28T17:11:58.38
Awarded Institution	University of California-Irvine
Facility Tech Lead	Wei-Ying Chen
Irradiation Facility
PI	Oran Lori
PI Email	[email protected]
Project Type	RTE
RTE Number	None