About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Symposium
|
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
Swelling and Fission Gas Release of U-10Mo and U-17Mo Following Neutron Irradiation at 250 – 500°C |
| Author(s) |
Peter Doyle, Jacob Gorton, Kara Godsey, Annabelle Le Coq, Jason Harp, Matthew Jones, Stephanie Curlin, Andrew Nelson |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Peter Doyle |
| Abstract Scope |
UMo fuels have long been used in research and test reactors at temperatures below 250°C and have been examined at higher temperatures in fast reactor conditions. However, performance of these fuels is unknown in the temperature regime of 250–500°C. In this work, three targets, each containing four U-10Mo (250–500°C targeted irradiation temperature) and two U-17Mo (250°C and 350°C targeted irradiation temperature) fuel samples were irradiated for 2, 4, and 8 cycles, respectively, in the High Flux Isotope Reactor using the MiniFuel vehicle. As-built simulations found fission rates decayed from 3–6×1013cm-3s-1 to 2–4×1013cm-3s-1, depending on the sample; the highest burnup sample reached a fission density of 6.8×1020cm-3. Simulated temperatures predictably followed a similar trend to the fission rate trend and were, with limited exception, close to the targeted irradiation temperature. Post-irradiation examinations were conducted on the passive SiC thermometry and on the fuel materials. The SiC thermometry showed irradiation temperatures that matched well with the as-built simulations. Even at the highest fission densities, U-17Mo fuels and the U-10Mo fuel at 250°C did not swell appreciably or release fission gases. The U-10Mo fuel at 350°C showed little swelling or gas release until the highest burnup, where thickness swelling approached 35% and fission gas release of 78%. The higher temperature U-10Mo samples swelled up to 17% in thickness with up to 66% fission gas release. Ongoing electron microscopy work will also be presented to examine gas bubble distributions, microstructure changes, and any phase changes in the samples. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |