About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Metallic Nuclear Fuel Design, Fabrication and Characterization
|
| Presentation Title |
Mitigating FCCI in Metallic Fuels: Evaluating Cladding Liners Using Multiscale Modeling |
| Author(s) |
Shehab Shousha, Benjamin Beeler, Larry K. Aagesen, Geoffrey L. Beausoleil II, Nicole Rodriguez Perez, Maria A. Okuniewski |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Shehab Shousha |
| Abstract Scope |
Fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) causes metallic nuclear fuel pin failures by enabling lanthanide diffusion into the cladding, forming brittle intermetallics like Fe17Nd2. Zr or V liners and Cr coatings are proposed as interdiffusion barriers, with effectiveness dependent on lanthanide transport properties. Using density functional theory and self-consistent mean field theory, we analyze Ce and Nd diffusion in HCP Zr, BCC Cr, and BCC V. Our findings show significantly slower diffusion in Cr than in Zr and V under thermodynamic equilibrium vacancy concentrations. However, strong lanthanide vacancy drag in BCC metals (Cr and V) leads to lanthanide enrichment at sinks, unlike in HCP Zr, suggesting superior Zr liner performance under irradiation. We also integrate diffusion data into a phase-field model to simulate the growth of the FCCI wastage layer, confirming Zr’s effectiveness in limiting Nd diffusion. Experimental microstructural analysis of Zr liners by collaborators will further refine our predictive multiscale model. |