About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Ceramic Materials for Nuclear Energy System
|
| Presentation Title |
Cluster Dynamics Modeling of Extended Defect Evolution with Loop Unfaulting in Proton-Irradiated Single Crystal ThO2 |
| Author(s) |
Md Minaruzzaman, Yongfeng Zhang , Miaomiao Jin, Mutaz Alshannaq, Anshul Kamboj, Kaustubh Bawane, Boopathy Kombaiah, Lingfeng He, David Hurley, Marat Khafizov |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Md Minaruzzaman |
| Abstract Scope |
This study introduces loop unfaulting into a cluster dynamics (CD) model to investigate the evolution of interstitial loops and voids in single crystal thorium dioxide (ThO2) under proton irradiation at 600 °C and 1000 °C. In the model, faulted loops nucleate from interstitial clusters, grow by absorption of monomers and transform into perfect loops as they grow, driven by energetic favorability. Perfect loops continue their growth by the absorption of monomers. Model predictions are in good agreement with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations. Results show that while perfect loop density increases, faulted loop growth saturates due to unfaulting, reflecting key microstructural changes closely linked to dislocation network formation, grain subdivision, and high burnup structure development. These microstructural transformations influence sub-grain boundary formation and fission gas bubble accumulation, thereby impacting gas pressure and fuel swelling. |