About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Ceramics and Ceramic-Based Composites for Nuclear Applications III
|
| Presentation Title |
Characterizing Thermal Conductivity in Anisotropic Textured Graphite Composites Using Frequency Domain Thermoreflectance |
| Author(s) |
Christopher Nyborg, Josh Kelley, Thomas Andrews, Oliver Johnson, Troy Munro |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Christopher Nyborg |
| Abstract Scope |
Microstructure strongly influences the thermal transport properties of materials used in nuclear fuels as local material properties often degrade due to radiation. In addition, the natural anisotropy of graphite and the texture influenced by the manufacturing process create gradients in localized properties. As nuclear fuel microstructures become more complex with the introduction of TRISO-graphite composites, characterization of the local properties is becoming even more important. We used Beam Offset Frequency Domain Thermoreflectance (BO-FDTR) to measure the material’s spatially dependent anisotropic thermal properties. In this talk, we report experimental measurements of the spatially varying thermal conductivity tensor in highly textured TRISO composites. Better understanding of the influence of microstructure on material properties can help predict the heat transfer rate and temperature margins of nuclear fuel. This work applies BO-FDTR to measure the thermal properties of graphite composites with complex microstructures to inform the design and operation of nuclear systems. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Ceramics, Composites |