NSUF 17-1052: Study of the factors affecting the radiation tolerance of MAX phases for innovative fuel cladding concepts
This project aims at understanding the factors affecting the radiation tolerance of MAX phases for fuel cladding applications. To this end, ‘model alloys’ with the same stoichiometry but distinctly different microstructures will be simultaneously ion-irradiated, so as to demonstrate the impact of grain size distribution and texture on the radiation tolerance of MAX phases. Ion irradiation will be carried out at two different temperatures, i.e., 350C and 600C; the former is relevant to the nominal service conditions of fuel clads for Gen-II/III light water reactors (LWRs); the latter is relevant to the (anticipated) nominal service conditions of fuel clads for Gen-IV lead fast reactors (LFRs). The use of MAX phases in innovative fuel cladding concepts is considered in order to address important material challenges in the nuclear sector, such as the development of accident-tolerant fuel (ATFs) clads for Gen-II/III LWRs and liquid metal corrosion-resistant fuel clads for Gen-IV LFRs. The phase-pure ‘model alloys’ to be ion irradiated at the Michigan Ion Beam Laboratory (MIBL) are the ternary carbide Nb4AlC3 and its solid solution (Nb0.85,Zr0.15)4AlC3. It follows that the proposed experiments will also help to shed light on the effects of MAX phase alloying on the radiation tolerance. The targeted displacement dose is about 40 dpa, so as to produce data that are relevant for fuel cladding applications. This ion irradiation campaign is also designed to assess the materials’ resistance to decomposition, amorphisation and swelling. The proposed ion irradiation will be completed within 6 months after the project selection; the irradiated matter will be subjected to post-irradiation examination (PIE) by means of TEM/STEM. The suggested ion irradiation and ensuing PIE are expected to demonstrate the suitability of MAX phases for nuclear fuel cladding applications, thus opening the road to their further development and qualification. The findings of the herein proposed work are expected to provide a fundamental understanding of the factors (microstructure, alloying) affecting the radiation tolerance of the MAX phases. The importance of this study is not limited to specific compounds in the Nb-Zr-Al-C system, since it is reasonable to expect that the conclusions of this study are transferable to other members of the MAX phase family and will be exploited during the development and optimisation of MAX phases with coolant-specific stoichiometries, so as to effectively address material property requirements such as oxidation and corrosion resistance.
Дополнительная информация
| Поле | Величина |
|---|---|
| Awarded Institution | Belgian Center for Nuclear Research (SCK/CEN) |
| Embargo End Date | 2019-06-20 |
| Facility Tech Lead | Kevin Field |
| NSUF Call | FY 2017 RTE 3rd Call |
| PI | Konstantina Lambrinou |
| Project Member | Professor Gary Was, Professor - University of Michigan (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2213-0845) |
| Project Member | Michel Barsoum - Drexel University (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7800-3517) |
| Project Member | Edward Lahoda, Consulting Engineer - Westinghouse Electric Company (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4299-2066) |
| Project Member | Remi Delville - Belgian Center for Nuclear Research (SCK/CEN) |
| Project Member | Professor Konstantina Lambrinou, Professor in Advanced Materials - University of Huddersfield (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1264-6699) |
| Project Notes | Awarded on 09/20/2017 |
| Project Type | RTE |
| Publication | Synthesis of MAX Phases in the Zr-Ti-Al-C System Remi Delville, Konstantina Lambrinou Inorganic Chemistry 56 2017-03-03 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b03057 |
| Publication | MAX phase materials for nuclear applications Konstantina Lambrinou ICACC 2016 2016-01-24 - 2016-01-29 |
| Publication | MAX phase materials for nuclear applications Konstantina Lambrinou Developments in Strategic Ceramic Materials II: Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings 37 2017-01-30 https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119321811.ch21 |
| RTE Number | 1052 |