About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Metallic Nuclear Fuel Design, Fabrication and Characterization
|
| Presentation Title |
Exploring the Complex Interplay Between Phases, Porosity, and Thermal Properties in Metallic Fuels |
| Author(s) |
Assel Aitkaliyeva, Mitchell Mika, Allison Probert, Mary Sevart, Tiankai Yao, Ethan J Hisle, Tsvetoslav Pavlov, Cynthia Adkins, Karen Wright, Luca Capriotti |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Assel Aitkaliyeva |
| Abstract Scope |
Crystalline phase, porosity, and constituent redistribution impact the thermal behavior of irradiated U-Zr-based fuels, yet their individual effects remain poorly resolved. We conducted a detailed microstructural and thermal analysis of U-Zr-based fuels irradiated to various burnups and quantified phase composition, porosity, and local thermal conductivity as a function of radial position. Results reveal burnup-dependent changes in conductivity linked to phase transformations and porosity development. These findings provide new insights into thermal transport in irradiated metallic fuels that will inform the development of mechanistic property models critical for fuel performance simulation. |