NSUF 25-5285: Probing the Effects of Temperature, Radiation, and Fuel Cladding Chemical Interaction on Irradiated HT-9 Cladding via In-Situ Micro-Tensile Testing
Current HT-9 creep and deformation models in the BISON framework consistently predict unacceptable discrepancies between simulated and experimentally observed HT-9 cladding behavior due to a lack of experimental data at prototypical reactor conditions. Critical factors that must be considered for more accurate cladding prediction include fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI), precipitate evolution, intermetallic phase formation, and radiation damage. To obtain mechanical property information more relevant to simulations used to predict in-pile fuel-cladding behavior, this work consists of micro-tensile tests on the HT-9 cladding of a U-10Zr fuel irradiated to a burnup of 8.1 at. % with a peak inner cladding temperature of 612°C in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in addition to a sample of fresh, unirradiated HT-9 at both room-temperature and high-temperature (600°C) followed by advanced transmission electron microscopy characterization of deformed specimens. This experiment will help define prototypical mechanical properties of HT-9 cladding, clarify temperature and radiation effects on mechanical properties, and highlight structure-property relationships in the bulk and FCCI-affected regions of HT-9. Ultimately, the development of more robust fuel performance models used for qualifying HT-9 clad U-Zr-based fuels will benefit from this work.
Additional Info
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | University of Florida |
| DOI | 10.46936/NSUF/60013884 |
| Embargo End Date | 2027-03-26 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Alina Montrose |
| NSUF Call | FY 2025 RTE 1st Call |
| PI | Bao-Phong Nguyen |
| PIE Facilities | Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory |
| Prep Facilities | Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory |
| Project Member | Professor Assel Aitkaliyeva, Assistant Professor - University of Florida (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1481-6804) |
| Project Member | Dr. Tiankai Yao, Staff Scientist and Nuclear Facility Engineer - Idaho National Laboratory (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8330-7638) |
| Project Member | Dr. Yachun Wang, Postdoc Research Associate - Idaho National Laboratory (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4952-3633) |
| Project Member | Mr. Bao-Phong Nguyen, Graduate Student - University of Florida (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3928-6256) |
| Project Type | RTE |