About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Symposium
|
Materials in Nuclear Energy Systems (MiNES) 2025
|
| Presentation Title |
Comprehensive Analysis of Constituent Redistribution in U-Zr Fuels |
| Author(s) |
Mary Elizabeth Meyer, Yogesh Kumar, Karen Wright, Fei Xu, Michael Tonks, Assel Aitkaliyeva |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mary Elizabeth Meyer |
| Abstract Scope |
To commercially qualify uranium-zirconium (U-Zr) fuels, experimental data on fuel irradiation behaviors is necessary to influence fuel performance model and simulation parameters to prove the safety and efficiency of these fuels. Investigating constituent redistribution is especially important as it has broad impacts on fuel behaviors such as porosity development and thermal property degradation, both of which impact fuel performance. This presentation will provide a comprehensive analysis of the current data on constituent redistribution in solid and annular U-Zr fuels and will compare this experimental data with the current fuel performance model in BISON. Historically, the vast majority of analysis on constituent redistribution in U-Zr fuels was completed using methods including energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) or visual inspection with optical microscopy. These methods, while useful, lack quantitative analysis from fuel element peak overlaps for EDS. Additionally, the identification of phases from EDS or optical micrographs is largely based on equilibrium phase diagrams, which are not valid during operating conditions in a reactor. Using methods such as electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) provides quantitative compositional data from the presence of elemental standards and higher energy resolution than EDS, reducing peak overlaps. The comparison between experimental and modeling data in this presentation will highlight the need for further data collection on constituent redistribution and the necessity of improvements in fuel performance model parameters. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |