NSUF 23-4771: In situ irradiation of spent nuclear fuels

Nuclear fuel undergoes significant microstructural and chemical evolution during reactor operations. To improve the economics of commercial nuclear power production, utilities are seeking to increase the allowable burnup limit of UO2 fuel. However, exposure to extended burnup leads to the formation of a refined grain structure (also known as high-burnup structure (HBS)), which generates the risk of performance degradation and fragmentation of UO2 fuels. Therefore, understanding the HBS formation mechanisms and its impact on fuel performance is important. Here, we propose to study the HBS formation and evolution in UO2 spent nuclear fuels under irradiation by integrating experimental and modeling techniques. Implantations of Xe ions will be performed to mimic radiation damage generated during reactor operation. The evolution of grain structure under irradiation at various temperatures will be visualized using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This rapid turnaround project includes 1-week TEM sample preparation using FEI Quanta 3D focused ion beam system (FIB) at the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL) facility, Idaho National Laboratory, 1-week in situ TEM observation using IVEM-Tandem facility at Argonne National Laboratory, experimental data analysis and final report, which will take about 9 months in total.

Додаткова інформація

Поле	Значення
Awarded Institution	Idaho National Laboratory
Embargo End Date	2026-02-27
Facility Tech Lead	Alina Montrose, Wei-Ying Chen
NSUF Call	FY 2023 RTE 3rd Call
PI	Cameron Howard
PIE Facilities	Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscopy (IVEM)-Tandem Facility
Prep Facilities	Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory
Project Member	Dr. Lingfeng He, Associate Professor - North Carolina State University (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2763-1462)
Project Member	Dr. Cameron Howard, Instrument Scientist - Idaho National Laboratory (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5134-213X)
Project Type	RTE