About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Symposium
|
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
High Temperature Neutron Study of Uranium Carbide Systems |
| Author(s) |
Xiaofeng Guo, William Vance, Matthew Heaney, Shinhyo Bang, Adrien J. Terricabras, Arjen van Veelen, Joshua T. White |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
William Vance |
| Abstract Scope |
UC is a strong candidate for use in emerging Generation IV advanced reactors, both as pristine fuels and as kernels in accident tolerant TRISO fuels. A fundamental understanding of the material chemistry and thermodynamic properties of uranium-carbide system is critical for predicting their behavior under reactor, off-normal, or storage conditions. In this work, we employ in situ high temperature neutron diffraction to investigate the thermal behavior and thermophysical parameters of uranium monocarbide (UC), and two other uncommon but important phases: uranium dicarbide (UC2) and uranium sesquicarbide (U2C3), across the temperature range from ambient to 950℃. Samples were loaded into a vanadium furnace and heated at a constant rate while inside vacuum sealed quartz tubes, with diffraction patterns collected at regular intervals across the full temperature range. Rietveld analyses were done to understand high temperature crystalline structures and potential phase transformation. We reported temperature dependent thermal expansion coefficients (CTE) and atomic displacement coefficients of both U and C, which were then compared to past literature work or be contributed for the first time. Our preliminary results underscore the use of neutron diffraction for capturing carbon‐substructure dynamics in uranium carbides, while highlighting the need for refined analytical techniques to accurately quantify chemistry structures in secondary U-C phases. These insights are critical for modeling carbide‐fuel performance under reactor‐relevant thermal conditions. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |