About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
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| Symposium
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Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
Mitigating FCCI in Metallic Fuels: Evaluating Cladding Liners Using Multiscale Modeling
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| 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) is a major degradation mechanism in metallic nuclear fuels, driven by the diffusion of lanthanides into the cladding, where they form brittle intermetallic compounds such as Fe17Nd2. The diffusion of neodymium (Nd) in FCCI phases—particularly Fe17Nd2—is a critical rate-limiting step in the growth of the cladding wastage layer. Nd diffusion in Fe17Nd2 remains largely unexplored. In this work, we employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations to estimate Nd diffusivity in Fe17Nd2. We also computed Nd diffusion data in zirconium (Zr) using DFT to support the evaluation of Zr’s role as a diffusion barrier. These diffusivities are incorporated into a phase-field model to simulate the growth kinetics of the wastage layer. The model is then used to assess the effectiveness of incorporating a Zr liner. Our results show that Zr liners can significantly suppress Nd diffusion and reduce FCCI-driven degradation, supporting their use in metallic fuels for sodium-cooled fast reactors. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |