Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Gan, J.
• Miller, B.D.
• Keiser, D.D.
• Jue, J.F.
• Madden, J.W.
• Robinson, A.B.
• Ozaltun, H.
• Moore, G.
• Meyer, M.K.

Titel

Irradiated microstructure of U-10Mo monolithic fuel plate at very high fission density

Ist Teil von

• Journal of nuclear materials, 2017-08, Vol.492 (C), p.195-203

Ort / Verlag

Amsterdam: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Monolithic U-10Mo alloy fuel plates with Al-6061 cladding are being developed for use in research and test reactors as low enrichment fuel (<20% U-235 enrichment) as a result of its high uranium loading capacity compared to that of U-7Mo dispersion fuel. These fuel plates contain a Zr diffusion barrier between the U-10Mo fuel and Al-6061 cladding that suppresses the interaction between the U-Mo fuel foil and Al alloy cladding that is known to be problematic under irradiation. Different methods have been employed to fabricate monolithic fuel plates, including hot-rolling with no cold-rolling. L1P09T is a hot-rolled fuel plate irradiated to high fission density in the RERTR-9B experiment. This paper discusses the TEM characterization results for this U-10Mo/Zr/Al6061 monolithic fuel plate (∼59% U-235 enrichment) irradiated in Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory with an unprecedented high local fission density of 9.8E+21 fissions/cm3. The calculated fuel foil centerline temperature at the beginning of life and the end of life is 141 and 194 °C, respectively. TEM lamellas were prepared using focus ion beam lift-out technique. The estimated U-Mo fuel swelling, based on the fuel foil thickness change from SEM, is approximately 76%. Large bubbles (>1 μm) are distributed evenly in U-Mo and interlink of these bubbles is evident. The average size of subdivided grains at this fission density appears similar to that at 5.2E+21 fissions/cm3. The measured average Mo and Zr content in the fuel matrix is ∼30 at% and ∼7 at%, respectively, in general agreement with the calculated Mo and Zr from fission density.