NSUF 15-532: Atom probe tomography of Fe-U-Pu-Zr systems

Plutonium-uranium-zirconium (Pu-U-Zr) alloys have attracted attention for application in advanced fast reactors. Compatibility of the fuel with cladding is one of the most important factors that have to be considered prior to an alloy’s implementation in nuclear reactor environment. Interdiffusion between fuel and cladding is imperative for understanding of the useful lifetime of nuclear reactor components and fuels. The project aims to characterize complex phases formed upon heat treatment of diffusion couples constructed from Pu-U-Zr alloys and Fe cladding. Detailed chemical and structural characterization of interdiffusion between fuel and cladding the atomic scale is of profound consequence for evaluation of nuclear fuels and materials behavior. This proposal requests access to focused ion beam (FIB) and localized electrode atom probe (LEAP) instruments for thorough characterization of formed intermetallic phases. The proposed work will lead to enhancement of fundamental understanding of fuel performance and fuel-cladding chemical interactions.

Papildoma informacija

Laukas	Reikšmė
Awarded Institution	Idaho National Laboratory
Embargo End Date	2026-02-27
Facility Tech Lead	Mukesh Bachhav
NSUF Call	FY 2015 RTE 1st Call
PI	Assel Aitkaliyeva
Project Member	Professor Assel Aitkaliyeva, Assistant Professor - University of Florida (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1481-6804)
Project Member	Dr. Cynthia Adkins, Staff Scientist - Idaho National Laboratory (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3834-6440)
Project Type	RTE
RTE Number	532