| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials Science & Technology 2019
|
| Symposium
|
Materials for Nuclear Applications
|
| Presentation Title |
Characterization of the Impact of Fission Product Inclusion on Phase Development in U3Si2 Fuel |
| Author(s) |
Kaitlin E. Johnson, Denise A. Lopes, Tashiema L Wilson, Theodore M. Besmann |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Kaitlin E. Johnson |
| Abstract Scope |
Solid fission products produced during burnup accumulate in the fuel and may lead to the development of secondary phases, contributing to swelling and causing changes to the thermophysical properties. Yet, the impact of fission products on accident tolerant advanced fuels under development, such as U3Si2, is largely unexplored. Five fission product metals (Ce, Gd, Mo, Y, Zr) were chosen as surrogate fission products and a “SIMFUEL” representing high fuel burnup was fabricated by doping U3Si2 with up to 10 at% of the metals and heat treated. The SIMFUEL pellets were characterized using XRD and microanalytical methods to identify structural changes and secondary phase formation and determining the solubility limits of the various fission products in U3Si2. The results are being used to develop thermodynamic models of U3Si2 and to describe its in-reactor behavior. |