About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Metallic Fuels - Design, Fabrication, and Characterization
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| Presentation Title |
Fabrication and Properties of Metal Fuels with Controlled Porosities by Spark Plasma Sintering |
| Author(s) |
Dong Zhao, Jie Lian |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Jie Lian |
| Abstract Scope |
The U-10Zr metallic fuels with controlled porosity, phase and chemistry are fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS), a field-assisted sintering technology. By controlling current flow during the SPS consolidation process, the temperature distribution across fuel pellets can be controlled, resulting in an improved uniformity in microstructure. Different die designs, e.g., are applied to fabricate cylindrical or annual fuel pellets. A bimodal pore structure consisting of several-tens microns interconnected pores and isolated micron- or sub-micron-sized pores embedded in the metallic fuel matrix mimicking the irradiated metallic fuels in reactor operation. The phase and chemistry of the SPS fabricated porous metal fuels were investigated as functions of processing conditions. Isothermal annealing was performed on the porous metal fuels to understand the evolution of pore and grain structures. The grain growth kinetics and creep behaviors of metal fuels were also investigated for the phase dependent behavior of the uranium metal fuels.
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| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Process Technology, |