NSUF 18-1181: In situ TEM observation of microstructural evolution of silicon carbide (SiC)-nanostructured ferritic alloy (NFA) composite under high temperature ion irradiation
Methods: This proposal is to use the Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscopy (IVEM) - Tandem Facility at Argonne National Laboratory to conduct in-situ TEM study of the novel 25 vol% SiC-75 vol% C@NFA and 25 vol% Cr3C2@SiC-75 vol% NFA composites to ion irradiation doses of 0, 10, 20 dpa at 500 and 1000°C in order to understand the irradiation-induced microstructure and defect evolution of the above materials and assess their irradiation tolerance as nuclear cladding materials. Potential impact: Current light water nuclear reactors have potential safety problems due to the rapid reaction between zirconium cladding alloys and water coolant during severe accidents. Development of more accident-tolerant cladding materials becomes a top priority for the future design of nuclear reactors. Nanostructured ferritic alloy (NFA) and silicon carbide (SiC) are two promising cladding materials due to their high thermal stability, good mechanical strength, and strong irradiation and corrosion resistance. SiC-NFA composites are expected to combine the advantages from each component and deliver superior irradiation and accident tolerance. In our work, spark plasma sintered 25 vol% SiC-75 vol% C@NFA and 25 vol% Cr3C2@SiC-75 vol% NFA composites have been demonstrated as promising candidates for nuclear cladding materials. Since both Y-Ti-O particles and SiC-induced secondary phases in the 25 vol% SiC-75 vol% C@NFA and 25 vol% Cr3C2@SiC-75 vol% NFA composites have different size, shape, density, and distribution, in-situ TEM analysis of the microstructural and defect changes under ion irradiation would reveal unknown relationships among different species and their irradiation responses. To avoid any complication introduced by potential changes of the Y-Ti-O particles at 1000°C, the Y-Ti-O particles will be examined/mapped before and after irradiation using energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM), by which the ion irradiation induced high density dislocation loops and the nanoparticles with similar sizes can be differentiated. This proposed effort will help us to establish more quantitative and reliable theoretical models and provide in-depth scientific understanding and performance prediction for these novel systems for fuel cladding applications. The success of this project will also provide guidance for future research and development of high performance fuel cladding materials.
Expected period of performance: The performance period is expected to be November 2017 – October 2018.
Anticipated scientific outcome: The anticipated scientific outcomes include: (1) understanding of the phase stability of the individual phases in the 25 vol% SiC-75 vol% C@NFA and 25 vol% Cr3C2@SiC-75 vol% NFA composites under ion irradiation at different temperatures, (2) in-situ observation of irradiation induced defects and microstructure evolution, (3) quantification of the evolution of the defect type, size, density, and distribution as a function of irradiation dose at high temperatures, (4) synergistic effects of irradiation resistance from the Y-Ti-O clusters and different intermediates and phase boundaries, (5) roles of the reaction barrier layers in the SiC-NFA composites for the irradiation resistance, (6) new theoretical mechanisms/models for fundamental understanding of the irradiation resistance in the SiC-NFA composites, 7) novel cladding materials that are irradiation resistant in the harsh nuclear environments.
Papildoma informacija
| Laukas | Reikšmė |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Embargo End Date | 2024-05-09 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Montrose, Mukesh Bachhav, Wei-Ying Chen |
| NSUF Call | FY 2018 RTE 1st Call |
| PI | Kathy Lu |
| Project Member | Professor Xianming Bai, Assistant Professor - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Project Member | Kaijie Ning, Postdoc Research Associate - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3658-2511) |
| Project Member | Prof. Dane Morgan, Professor - University of Wisconsin (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4911-0046) |
| Project Member | Prof. Kathy Lu, Professor and Chair - University of Alabama at Birmingham (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2135-6351) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 01/29/2018 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | In Situ Dual-Beam Ion Irradiation with Transmission Electrom Microscopy Meimei Li, Jing Hu ANS Annual Meeting 2018 2018-06-15 - 2018-06-18 |
| Publication | In-situ TEM study of microstructural evolution in NFA and Cr3C2@SiC-NFA composite during ion irradiation Kathy Lu, Xianming Bai, Wei-Ying Chen, Meimei Li Materialia 7 2019-07-26 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258915291930208X |
| RTE Number | 1181 |