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At least 451 records · Page 25

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NASA NTRS2014

Preliminary Report on U-Th-Pb Isotope Systematics of the Olivine-Phyric Shergottite Tissint

Geochemical studies of shergottites suggest that their parental magmas reflect mixtures between at least two distinct geochemical source reservoirs, producing correlations between radiogenic isotope compositions, and trace element abundances.. These correlations have been interpreted as indicating the presence of a reduced, incompatible-element- depleted reservoir and an oxidized, incompatible-element-rich reservoir. The former is clearly a depleted mantle source, but there has been a long debate regarding the origin of the enriched reservoir. Two contrasting models have been proposed regarding the location and mixing process of the two geochemical source reservoirs: (1) assimilation of oxidized crust by mantle derived, reduced magmas, or (2) mixing of two distinct mantle reservoirs during melting. The former clearly requires the ancient martian crust to be the enriched source (crustal assimilation), whereas the latter requires a long-lived enriched mantle domain that probably originated from residual melts formed during solidification of a magma ocean (heterogeneous mantle model). This study conducts Pb isotope and U-Th-Pb concentration analyses of the olivine-phyric shergottite Tissint because U-Th-Pb isotope systematics have been intensively used as a powerful radiogenic tracer to characterize old crust/sediment components in mantle- derived, terrestrial oceanic island basalts. The U-Th-Pb analyses are applied to sequential acid leaching fractions obtained from Tissint whole-rock powder in order to search for Pb isotopic source components in Tissint magma. Here we report preliminary results of the U-Th-Pb analyses of acid leachates and a residue, and propose the possibility that Tissint would have experienced minor assimilation of old martian crust.

Moriwaki, R.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Spatial distribution of the X-ray-emitting plasma of U Geminorum in quiescence and outburst

We present our analysis of the Suzaku data of U Geminorum (U Gem) from 2012 both in quiescence and outburst. Unlike SS Cygni (SS Cyg), the hard X-ray flux of U Gem is known to increase at times of optical outburst. A sophisticated spectral model and reliable distance estimate now reveal that this can be attributed to the fact that the mass accretion rate onto the white dwarf (WD) does not exceed the critical rate that causes the optically thin to thick transition of the boundary layer. From comparison of the X-ray and optical light curves, the X-ray outburst peak seems to be retarded by 2.1 ± 0.5 d, although there remains uncertainty in the X-ray peak identification, due to short data coverage. The larger delay than SS Cyg (0.9–1.4 d) also supports the lower accretion rate in U Gem. A fluorescent iron 6.4 keV emission line bears significant information about the geometry of the X-ray-emitting hot plasma and the accretion disk (AD) that reflects the hard X-ray emission. Our reflection simulation has shown that the optically thick AD is truncated at a distance of 1.20–1.25 times the white dwarf radius (RWD) in quiescence, and the accreting matter in the disk turns into the optically thin hard-X-ray-emitting plasma at this radius. In outburst, on the other hand, our spectral analysis favors the picture that the optically thick disk reaches the WD surface, although disk truncation can take place in the region of <1.012 RWD. From the profile of the 6.4 keV line, we have also discovered that the accreting matter is heated up close to the maximum temperature immediately after the matter enters the boundary layer at the disk truncation radius. This is consistent with the fact that the hard X-ray spectra of dwarf novae, in general, can be well represented with the cooling flow model.

Mai Takeo↗

DOE OSTI2022

Advanced Characterization of Fuel-cladding Chemical Interaction between U-10Zr Fuel and HT9 Cladding Tested in Fast Flux Test Facility

Fuel cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) can greatly accelerate the cladding failure. However, due to the limited space in a fuel cladding assembly, it is historically challenging to gain an mechanistical understanding of the formation mechanism of FCCI and its influence on fuel and cladding performance. With the imminent need to qualify U-10Zr based metallic fuel cladded by HT-9 for advanced reactors demonstration project, it is of vital importance to use advanced characterization method to study FCCI in a unprecedent detailed manner and gain better mechanism understanding of FCCI. Mechanistic Fuel Failure (MFF) series of prototypic fuel elements irradiated in FFTF [1, 2] provides the best samples to study FCCI since the MFF-series assemblies had an axial fuel height the same as proposed length by industry partners. Jason et al. [3] has performed preliminary post-irradiation examination on a MFF fuel pin sample, which was extracted from the HT9 cladded U-10at.%Zr MFF-3 pin MFF-3 pin (#193045) at an axial location of X/L = 0.98. This sample has a peak burnup of 5.7 at.% and peak inner cladding temperature (PICT) of around 615 °C during in-core testing. Scanning electron microscope examination has identified visible FCCI region on more than half of the HT9 circumference [3]. The most striking feature are grain boundary attacking by apparently lanthanides (Lns) rich phase. However, SEM cannot provide accurate assessment of phase and concentration of grain boundary phases and prevented a better understanding of the formation mechanism of such attach. This study, by pairing transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterization and atom probe tomography (APT) techniques with in-situ micro-tensile testing in scanning electron microscope (SEM), aims at gaining in-depth understanding on the formed FCCI region. The identified FCCI region roughly consists of multilayers as illustrated in Figure 1 (c). The main findings are: (1) layer-B shows observable lanthanides (Lns) infiltration along grain boundaries and mechanical softening due to FCCI- and irradiation-induced microstructural and microchemistry changes, particularly the recovery of martensitic lath structure and dissolution of pre-existing M23C6 together with the formation of coarsened Laves phases, (Fe, Cr)2(Mo, W); (2) layer-C is Fe depleted but Lns significantly enriched, becoming very brittle; (3) layer-D is mainly composed of UFe2 and Lns; (4) three FCCI-induced intermetallic U-Fe-Zr phases, ? (Fe0.5Zr0.32U0.18), e (Fe0.3Zr0.4U0.3), ? (Fe0.06Zr0.23U0.71), were identified near layer-E; (5) the ? (Fe0.5Zr0.32U0.18) phase was characterized to be a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. These results will help to better understanding the governing mechanism of FCCI and facilitating the development of theoretical model for assessing the performance of metallic fuel and cladding integrity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fault Detection on Seismic Structural Images Using a Nested Residual U-Net

Automatic identification of faults on seismic structural images is a challenging yet crucial task in quantitative seismic interpretation. Human picking or attribute-based fault detection methods may misidentify faults on noisy, complex seismic images. In this work, we develop a new automatic fault detection method using a nested residual U-shaped convolutional neural network. Each of the encoders and decoders in this neural network is a residual U-Net, leading to a nested architecture. The final fault map results from the fusion of three fault maps with low, medium, and high fault resolutions. We demonstrate the excellent fault-detection capability of our nested neural network using a series of synthetic and field seismic images. We find that our approach produces clearer and more interpretable fault maps than the current state-of-the-art U-Net fault detection method, particularly on noisy seismic images. Our new automatic fault detection method can facilitate reliable quantitative seismic interpretation on field seismic images.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on U(PS3)2 by Materials Project

U(PS3)2 crystallizes in the tetragonal P4_2/m space group. The structure is one-dimensional and consists of one U(PS3)2 ribbon oriented in the (0, 0, 1) direction. U4+ is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to eight S2- atoms. There are four shorter (2.76 Å) and four longer (2.98 Å) U–S bond lengths. P4+ is bonded in a trigonal non-coplanar geometry to three S2- atoms. There are two shorter (2.03 Å) and one longer (2.05 Å) P–S bond lengths. There are two inequivalent S2- sites. In the first S2- site, S2- is bonded in a 1-coordinate geometry to two equivalent U4+ and one P4+ atom. In the second S2- site, S2- is bonded in an L-shaped geometry to one U4+ and one P4+ atom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on U(PO3)4 by Materials Project

U(PO3)4 crystallizes in the triclinic P1 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are two inequivalent U4+ sites. In the first U4+ site, U4+ is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to eight O2- atoms. There are a spread of U–O bond distances ranging from 2.33–2.40 Å. In the second U4+ site, U4+ is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to eight O2- atoms. There are a spread of U–O bond distances ranging from 2.33–2.40 Å. There are eight inequivalent P5+ sites. In the first P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.50–1.61 Å. In the second P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the third P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the fourth P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the fifth P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.50–1.61 Å. In the sixth P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the seventh P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the eighth P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. There are twenty-four inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the fifth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the sixth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the seventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the eighth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the ninth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the tenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the eleventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the twelfth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the thirteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the fourteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the fifteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the sixteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the seventeenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 120 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the eighteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the nineteenth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 120 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the twentieth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the twenty-first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the twenty-second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted linear geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the twenty-third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a linear geometry to two P5+ atoms. In the twenty-fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on U(BH4)4 by Materials Project

U(BH4)4 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Cmcm space group. The structure is two-dimensional and consists of two U(BH4)4 sheets oriented in the (0, 0, 1) direction. U4+ is bonded in a 10-coordinate geometry to fourteen H+0.50+ atoms. There are a spread of U–H bond distances ranging from 2.28–2.40 Å. There are two inequivalent B3- sites. In the first B3- site, B3- is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four H+0.50+ atoms. There is three shorter (1.23 Å) and one longer (1.24 Å) B–H bond length. In the second B3- site, B3- is bonded in a tetrahedral geometry to four H+0.50+ atoms. There is one shorter (1.20 Å) and three longer (1.25 Å) B–H bond length. There are six inequivalent H+0.50+ sites. In the first H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one B3- atom. In the second H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one B3- atom. In the third H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one B3- atom. In the fourth H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one B3- atom. In the fifth H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one B3- atom. In the sixth H+0.50+ site, H+0.50+ is bonded in a single-bond geometry to one U4+ and one B3- atom.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on U(PO3)4 by Materials Project

U(PO3)4 crystallizes in the tetragonal I422 space group. The structure is three-dimensional. there are two inequivalent U4+ sites. In the first U4+ site, U4+ is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to eight O2- atoms. There are four shorter (2.36 Å) and four longer (2.37 Å) U–O bond lengths. In the second U4+ site, U4+ is bonded in a 8-coordinate geometry to eight O2- atoms. There are four shorter (2.37 Å) and four longer (2.39 Å) U–O bond lengths. There are two inequivalent P5+ sites. In the first P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There are a spread of P–O bond distances ranging from 1.49–1.61 Å. In the second P5+ site, P5+ is bonded to four O2- atoms to form corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra. There is two shorter (1.50 Å) and two longer (1.61 Å) P–O bond length. There are seven inequivalent O2- sites. In the first O2- site, O2- is bonded in a 1-coordinate geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the second O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent P5+ atoms. In the third O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the fourth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the fifth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a distorted bent 150 degrees geometry to one U4+ and one P5+ atom. In the sixth O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 150 degrees geometry to two equivalent P5+ atoms. In the seventh O2- site, O2- is bonded in a bent 120 degrees geometry to two P5+ atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Materials Data on U(Mn2P)2 by Materials Project

UMn4P2 crystallizes in the tetragonal P4_2/mnm space group. The structure is three-dimensional. U is bonded to six equivalent P atoms to form a mixture of distorted edge and corner-sharing UP6 octahedra. The corner-sharing octahedral tilt angles are 40°. There are two shorter (2.80 Å) and four longer (2.82 Å) U–P bond lengths. Mn is bonded in a 3-coordinate geometry to three equivalent P atoms. There are one shorter (2.29 Å) and two longer (2.33 Å) Mn–P bond lengths. P is bonded in a 9-coordinate geometry to three equivalent U and six equivalent Mn atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Recent Progress in U-10Mo Mechanical and Thermophysical Property Characterization

Results are presented on the mechanical and thermophysical property characterization of U-10Mo as part of the MP-1 qualification campaign. The thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity of as fabricated U-10Mo fuel foils and plates were measured using the thermal conductivity microscope (TCM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and laser flash analyzer (LFA) all of which located in a shielded glove box – thermal property cell (TPC). A novel inverse method based on finite element analysis was developed to evaluate the thermal diffusivity of composite/layered materials via the LFA technique such as the 5-lyered U-10Mo monolithic fuel mini-plates.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Recent Progress in U-10Mo Mechanical and Thermophysical Property Characterization -- Poster

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Impact of U-10Mo HALEU Fuel Element Tolerances on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor safety and operational performance – Neutronics

The U.S. is coordinating efforts for the conversion of six U.S. high performance research reactors (USHPRR), including one critical assembly from highly enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU). In order to continue the mission of these reactors, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR), and achieve similar performance, high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) with a high-density metallic alloy of uranium with 10 wt% molybdenum (U-10Mo) is being considered. Following the preliminary design of the proposed MITR LEU fuel elements using the U-10Mo monolithic alloy, the impact of the fabrication specification was assessed. This work focuses on the analysis of select neutronics characteristics of the MITR LEU core as a function of the variation of the relevant fuel specification parameters (e.g., U-10Mo composition, fuel plate thickness, etc.). A separate article submitted to this journal addresses the impact on the thermal hydraulic performance. The analyses in these works are performed based on an all-LEU conversion management plan identified in previous work, in which only the proposed elements are utilized for achieving the conversion of MITR. The variations of two main neutronics characteristics are assessed as a function of the variability of the specification parameters resulting from the fabrication process: the MITR LEU core reactivity and the fuel cycle length. The main findings of this work show that the MITR core can meet the operational requirements during the LEU transition plan under the limiting fabrication parameter combinations considered. In addition, the analyses show that the dependency of the core neutronics characteristics on the specification parameters is highly linear within the specification tolerances. The rates of variation are reported in detail for each parameter and can serve as a powerful tool for future MITR fuel management in cases such as when HALEU supply is established that may allow additional cycle length or other operational benefits.

Conversion↗

DOE OSTI2020

Investigation of the discontinuous precipitation of U-Nb alloys via thermodynamic analysis and phase-field modeling

U-Nb’s discontinuous precipitation, $\gamma^{bcc}_{matrix}$, $\alpha^{orth}_{cellular}$, $\gamma\prime^{bcc}_{cellular}$, is intriguing in the sense that it allows formation and growth of the metastable $\gamma\prime$ phase during the course of its occurrence. Previous attempts to explain the thermodynamic origin of U-Nb’s discontinuous precipitation hypothesized that the energy of $\alpha$ forms an intermediate common tangent with the first potential of the double-well energy of $\gamma$ at the $\gamma\prime$ composition. In this work, we examine different possible mechanisms by which the discontinuous precipitation product in the U-Nb system can be stabilized. We put forward a mechanism by which the bulk free energy of the $\gamma$ can develop a non-monotonic dependency with composition. Additionally we posit that local contributions due to lattice mismatch between the $\alpha$ and $\gamma$ phases may be responsible for the generation of metastable states that may stabilized by thermodynamics as well as by kinetics. Our work suggests that local misfit strain tends to play a crucial role in the growth of the discontinuous precipitation product. Depending on the magnitude of strain developed at the $\alpha$/$\gamma\prime$ interfaces, either an increasing $\gamma\prime$ composition or a random distribution of $\gamma\prime$ compositions around the equiatomic value with respect to increasing temperature could be expected. Moreover, we show how it is possible to stabilize the discontinuous precipitation front through highly anisotropic and fast interface diffusion.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2025

Plasma shape and position control development for NSTX-U using the GSEvolve plasma simulator

NSTX-U discharges have been reproduced using the GSEvolve plasma simulator in order to improve their control and reduce oscillations during the plasma current (Ip) ramp-up phase, and with the ultimate goal of enabling reliable H-mode access with a double-null shape at high elongation, low internal inductance, and high plasma performance. The control objective is to eliminate undesired oscillations in the plasma shape and vertical position that start when the plasma diverts during the Ip ramp-up phase, and that happened recurrently during the first NSTX-U experimental campaign. Model-based control solutions have been developed, including alternative H-mode access recipes and a Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) decoupling controller. These solutions have demonstrated their capability to reduce or eliminate the aforementioned oscillations in GSEvolve simulations, enabling reproducible H-mode access. The results of this work aim to inform NSTX-U experimental operations on potential control developments to maximize its scientific output, and highlight the powerful capabilities of high-fidelity control-simulation frameworks like GSEvolve.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

From MAST-U to STEP: Power exhaust control challenges and opportunities

This work explores the challenges and opportunities for power exhaust control in STEP, informed by dedicated MAST-U experiments. The STEP system primarily relies on hydrogenic and argon gas injection into the divertors, compensating for transients originating in the plasma core. Fast transients (>10 Hz) that evolve too quickly for actuators to compensate must be absorbed passively; the enhanced transient buffering of the foreseen long-legged divertor provides a clear advantage over conventional geometries, as demonstrated in the MAST-U Super-X divertor. Experiments further indicate that STEP’s tight divertor baffling enables near-independent control of the upper and lower divertors. The most challenging transients are expected from power-sharing fluctuations, as MAST-U experiments observed extremely fast dynamics. Fluctuations from core pellet fuelling remain relatively benign due to the small pellet size according to simulations. Exhaust control in a reactor like STEP requires an integrated approach befitting its machine-critical nature. A predictive control element, integrated with core plasma control, allows pre-emptive preparation of the divertor for incoming transients. An observer-based diagnostic approach is foreseen to monitor the divertor in the challenging reactor environment, supported by an extended diagnostic set in the non-nuclear phase to validate the required dynamic models.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of the anisotropic grain boundaries and surfaces of α -U via molecular dynamics

Alloys based on uranium-zirconium are gaining renewed interest as fuels for the Versatile Test Reactor and a number of microreactor designs. Implementing metallic fuel in reactors creates the need for robust descriptive and predictive fuel performance modeling. Here, the current state of metallic fuel performance modeling relies on empirical equations derived from historical experiments, which may be unreliable when applied outside of their temperature, power, and composition phase space. One area where such data is lacking is the irradiation behavior of alpha -U, specifically tearing and porosity formation at the early stages of irradiation. While grain boundaries likely play a key role in this fuel behavior, relatively little is known about grain boundaries in alpha-U. Thus, we evaluate the grain boundary, surface energy, and work of adhesion of alpha -U utilizing molecular dynamics. Symmetric tilt grain boundaries (STGBs) are analyzed with the tilt plane oriented along each major crystallographic axis, for a total of eighty unique grain boundaries. The effect of temperature, tilt plane, and misorientation angle on interfacial energies are analyzed. The interfacial energies typically increase with temperature and there is significant variance as a function of misorientation angle, irrespective of the tilt plane. At 500 K, the average surface energy (1.23 J/m 2 ) is approximately 1.5 times the grain boundary energy (0.79 J/m 2 ), and the work of adhesion is approximately twice the grain boundary energy (1.68 J/m 2 ). Orientations for the likely formation of twins and likely failure planes are identified.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Transmission Electron Microscopy based Characterization of a U-20Pu-10Zr Fuel Irradiated in Experimental Breeder Reactor-II

U-Pu-Zr metallic fuels are important fuel candidate for future advanced and/or test reactors. To better understand fuel performance and guide future fuel development, a U-20Pu-10Zr (in weight) metallic fuel irradiated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor was revisited using advanced electron microscopies. This fuel was irradiated to a burnup of 7.6 % at a peak cladding temperature of 521 °C. In this research, several transmission electron microscopy samples were extracted from different but representative radial locations of the fuel cross section using focused ion beam technique. Phase identification and chemical analysis with sub-micron spatial resolution was carried out using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Multiple phenomena that are critical to fuel performance, such as Zr phase and its distribution in a different matrix, were revealed in an unpreceded and highly detailed manner. An improved understanding of fuel reconstruction in U-Pu-Zr metallic fuel under reactor irradiation is provided.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

The complex structural and chemical nature of monolithic U-10Mo fuel and Zr barrier layer

Nanoscale microstructural characterization by advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques on a U-10Mo/Zr barrier layer monolithic fuel plate was performed to evaluate the microstructural evaluation after high burn-up. Gas bubble superlattice evolution, grain restructuring, and evolution of the Zr interaction layer is investigated through detailed electron microscopy characterization. The use of automated crystallographic orientation mapping to irradiated U-10Mo fuel highlights that the restructured ultra-fine grains are separated by high angle grain boundaries at a burn up of 4.42 × 10 21 fissions/cm 3 . Additionally, advanced chemical analysis and multi-variable statistical analysis shows spatial clustering of solid fission product precipitates. Finally, characterization of a newly observed porous nanocrystalline Zr region in the barrier layer is studied. Finally, this work provides insights into the grain subdivision and restructuring process while using advanced microscopy techniques to analyze fission products in neutron-irradiated U-10Mo fuel.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗