About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Symposium
|
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
Direct Thermal Conductivity Measurement of In-Pile Irradiated U-Mo Particles/ILs and U3Si2-Al ILs by the Suspended-Bridge Method |
| Author(s) |
Shipeng Shu, Yinbin Miao, Bei Ye, Peter Mouche, Kun Mo, Laura Jamison, Abdellatif M. Yacout, Daniele Salvato, William Hanson, Adam Robinson, Cameron Howard |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Shipeng Shu |
| Abstract Scope |
In dispersion fuels, heat removal is governed by the thermal conductivities of their individual components, yet direct data for in-pile irradiated materials remains limited due to the challenges associated with the small scale of these components. We employed a suspended-bridge method to directly measure, at the component level, the thermal conductivity of in-pile irradiated U-Mo fuel particles, their U-Mo/Al interaction layers, and U3Si2-Al interaction layers formed at two fission densities. Nanorods of varying lengths with cross-sections of approximately 200–400 nm were fabricated via xenon plasma focused-ion-beam lift-out and mounted between paired microfabricated heating and sensing platforms, enabling measurements in vacuum with minimal convective loss. Transmission electron microscopy revealed nanobubble superlattices in U-Mo particles and confirmed amorphous structures in all interaction layers. Irradiation significantly reduced the thermal conductivity of U-Mo fuel particles, while the interaction layers exhibited even lower values. U3Si2-Al interaction layers maintained higher thermal conductivity than their U-Mo counterparts and showed modest degradation with increasing burn-up. These constituent-level measurements fill an important data need and support more accurate prediction of fuel plate temperatures for advanced dispersion fuels. Predictions of bulk thermal conductivity informed by these measurements will be validated against direct bulk measurements as they become available. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |