About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2021 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
|
Thermal Property Characterization, Modeling, and Theory in Extreme Environments
|
Presentation Title |
Performance of UO2 Reactor Fuel with High Thermal Conductivity Additives |
Author(s) |
Michael R. Tonks, Floyd Hilty |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Michael R. Tonks |
Abstract Scope |
The thermal conductivity of UO2 is the lowest of all uranium-based nuclear reactor fuels, hurting the efficiency with which heat can be conducted through the fuel and converted to electricity. In order to increase the thermal conductivity of the fuel, composite fuels have been created in which materials with a much higher thermal conductivity are added to UO2. In this work, we summarize the proposed composite fuels and identify approaches to tailor the additive microstructure to maximize its impact on the thermal conductivity. We then discuss other ways in which the additives may alter the fuel performance and use finite element simulations to determine the impact of fission gas segregation to the additive interfaces on the composite fuel thermal conductivity. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |