Validation Study of Proton-Induced Spallation Products in Tungsten for STS
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McClanahan, Tucker [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000288104271)↗
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Non-Neutron Transmutation of Used Nuclear Fuel (Final Report)
The primary goal of this study is to develop a national facility concept for transmuting long-lived fission products (LLFP) to substantially reduce the disposal impact by minimizing the need for a geologic-timescale repository. As a charter for this study, the national transmutation facility was required to reduce the radiotoxicity and decay heat of LLFP isotopes by at least 90% relative to their values at discharge from a commercial LWR, while consuming less than 10% of the reactor's energy. The identified LLFP isotopes are Se-79, Zr-93, Tc-99, I-129, Sn-126, and Cs-135, whose radiotoxicity is about 99% of the total radiotoxicity of all fission products at 1,000 years. Approximately ~72 kg of LLFPs is discharged every year from a 1,000 MWe commercial or advanced nuclear reactor. First, LLFP transmutation options with non-neutron beams (photons and protons) were explored. The study concluded that LLFP transmutation is feasible with high-energy, high-intensity photons or protons, but impractical on an engineering scale due to low transmutation rates and the high energy requirements to produce the desired photon or proton beams. As alternatives, LLFP transmutation options with neutrons from fission, fusion, and spallation reactions were additionally explored. The transmutation options using advanced critical reactors are attractive only for selective LLFP isotopes because the production rates of several LLFP isotopes (Zr-93, Sn-126, and Cs-135) from fission reactions are larger than the transmutation rates. The transmutation options with only spallation neutrons are favorable to transmute all LLFP isotopes, but as a tradeoff, the net transmutation rates are reduced. The national transmutation facility concept was developed following an exploration of transmutation options using various incident particles. The proposed national LLFP transmutation comprises a dedicated molten-salt reactor (MSR), a proton accelerator, and a spallation neutron-based transmuter. The MSR power was set at 300 MWt and 120 MWe, with the thermal power approximately 10% of that of a commercial 1,000 MWe PWR. The electricity generated by the MSR powers the accelerator and transmuter. The accelerator produces 1 GeV, 30 mA protons, which are introduced into the spallation neutron-based transmuter. The spallation neutron-based transmuter consists of a central spallation target and LLFP target pins merged in a heavy water tank. The six LLFP isotopes are separated into two groups. Tc-99, I-129, and Se-79, having larger neutron cross sections, belong to group A, while Zr-93, Sn126, and Cs-135, having smaller neutron cross sections, belong to group B. Then, for effective transmutation, LLFPs in groups A and B are transmuted in the dedicated MSR and in a spallation neutron-based transmuter, respectively. The estimated capital cost of the national transmutation facility is approximately $\$$3.1B, and its annual O&M cost is expected to be ~$\$$182M. Radiotoxicity and decay heat of LLFPs were calculated and compared with those of the original LLFPs. It was assumed that the targets were made with elementwise LLFP rather than isotopic LLFP, owing to the potentially high cost of isotopic separation from used nuclear fuels. The decay heat of LLFPs can be reduced by more than 90% using a single national transmutation facility. However, radiotoxicity decreases by 79–84%, which does not meet the transmutation performance requirement, primarily because Cs-135 is produced rather than depleted. Thus, to meet the design requirement, Cs-135 should be separated from other Cs isotopes and irradiated in a spallation neutron-based transmuter. Then, radiotoxicity decreases by ~92%.
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
Journey to Time-Variable Moment Tensors through Inversion of Acoustic and Seismoacoustic Data
We explore the capability of acoustic and seismoacoustic datasets to directly resolve a complex, time-variable source consisting of a buried mechanism, represented as a moment tensor, and a spall mechanism, represented as a vertical force at the surface. Traditionally, each component of a resolved moment tensor assumes one underlying source time function, which likely fails to capture the full evolution of a dynamic source, such as an explosion followed by slip on near-source joints or development of spallation. Specifically, we expand previous work to resolve a time-variable moment tensor using single-modality and joint-modality inversion frameworks through analysis of infrasound and seismoacoustic data recorded as part of the Source Physics Experiment Phase II: Dry Alluvium Geology (DAG). We investigate the impact of including signals from seismic-to-air coupling that are local to each infrasound sensor in comparison to mainly atmosphere-propagating acoustic signals, which occur from coupling of the wavefield from the subsurface to the atmosphere directly above the source. Additionally, we assess the ability of our inversion algorithm to fit observed infrasound data using a variety of time-variable source mechanisms. First, we consider the buried moment tensor source alone, which assumes that the determined Green’s functions incorporate effects from spallation or that the impact from spallation is minimal. Second, we examine the estimated buried moment tensor and vertical surface spallation as terms that must both be resolved in the inversion. Third, we assess the ability for an estimated vertical surface spallation source to fit the acoustic data on its own. Finally, we compare results from the joint inversion of both seismic geophone and infrasound acoustic data for the buried-only source compared to buried and spallation sources. Our results are a preliminary investigation into the applications of the inversion technique to recorded datasets and show the technique has limited capabilities using acoustic data alone. Instead, this method shows promise for seismic and seismoacoustic datasets to resolve the time-variable mechanisms of a buried source.
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
Thermal barrier coating life prediction model development, phase 2
The objective of this program was to generate a life prediction model for electron-beam-physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) zirconia thermal barrier coating (TBC) on gas turbine engine components. Specific activities involved in development of the EB-PVD life prediction model included measurement of EB-PVD ceramic physical and mechanical properties and adherence strength, measurement of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth kinetics, generation of quantitative cyclic thermal spallation life data, and development of a spallation life prediction model. Life data useful for model development was obtained by exposing instrumented, EB-PVD ceramic coated cylindrical specimens in a jet fueled burner rig. Monotonic compression and tensile mechanical tests and physical property tests were conducted to obtain the EB-PVD ceramic behavior required for burner rig specimen analysis. As part of that effort, a nonlinear constitutive model was developed for the EB-PVD ceramic. Spallation failure of the EB-PVD TBC system consistently occurred at the TGO-metal interface. Calculated out-of-plane stresses were a small fraction of that required to statically fail the TGO. Thus, EB-PVD spallation was attributed to the interfacial cracking caused by in-plane TGO strains. Since TGO mechanical properties were not measured in this program, calculation of the burner rig specimen TGO in-plane strains was performed by using alumina properties. A life model based on maximum in-plane TGO tensile mechanical strain and TGO thickness correlated the burner rig specimen EB-PVD ceramic spallation lives within a factor of about plus or minus 2X.
Meier, Susan Manning↗
Windows(Registered Trademark)-Based Software Models Cyclic Oxidation Behavior
Oxidation of high-temperature aerospace materials is a universal issue for combustion-path components in turbine or rocket engines. In addition to the question of the consumption of material due to growth of protective scale at use temperatures, there is also the question of cyclic effects and spallation of scale on cooldown. The spallation results in the removal of part of the protective oxide in a discontinuous step and thereby opens the way for more rapid oxidation upon reheating. In experiments, cyclic oxidation behavior is most commonly characterized by measuring changes in weight during extended time intervals that include hundreds or thousands of heating and cooling cycles. Weight gains occurring during isothermal scale-growth processes have been well characterized as being parabolic or nearly parabolic functions of time because diffusion controls reaction rates. In contrast, the net weight change in cyclic oxidation is the sum of the effects of the growth and spallation of scale. Typically, the net weight gain in cyclic oxidation is determined only empirically (that is, by measurement), with no unique or straightforward mathematical connection to either the rate of growth or the amount of metal consumed. Thus, there is a need for mathematical modeling to infer spallation mechanisms. COSP is a computer program that models the growth and spallation processes of cyclic oxidation on the basis of a few elementary assumptions that were discussed in COSP: A Computer Model of Cyclic Oxidation, Oxidation of Metals, vol. 36, numbers 1 and 2, 1991, pages 81-112. Inputs to the model include the selection of an oxidation-growth law and a spalling geometry, plus oxide-phase, growth-rate, cycle-duration, and spall-constant parameters. (The spalling fraction is often shown to be a constant factor times the existing amount of scale.) The output of COSP includes the net change in weight, the amounts of retained and spalled oxide, the total amounts of oxygen and metal consumed, and the terminal rates of weight loss and metal consumption.
Smialek, J. L.↗
TPSAS-NF1676L-21180-DND
Ablative materials are used as the Thermal Protection System (TPS) for space vehicles that enter a planetary atmosphere. During the entry phase, the vehicle experiences high rates of aerodynamic heating. These ablative materials, acting as a heat shield, protect the vehicle from the harsh environment and ensure a safe entry. Ablative materials reduce the incoming heat flux through various phenomena such as near-surface oxidation, pyrolysis chemical reaction, vaporization, and other erosive processes, collectively known as ablation. Spallation is one such ablative process, in which solid particles are ejected from the material into the flow field. The many conditions leading to spallation, however, are not well understood and cannot be described accurately by simple phenomenological models. However, the spallation phenomenon might impact the aerodynamic heating rates of re-entry vehicles using ablative heat shields. For example, the solid particles ejected from the surface can modify the near surface chemical processes and flow field. To investigate spallation effects, a code was developed to compute the dynamics of spalled particles. The code uses a finite-rate chemistry model to study the chemical interactions of the particles with the flow field. The spallation code is dynamically coupled to a CFD solver that models the time accurate hypersonic flow field around an ablative sample. An experimental investigation was also performed at the NASA Langley HYMETS facility. HYMETS is a 400 kW arcjet that can simulate hypersonic flight and Earth or Martian entry conditions. Using high speed cameras, an IR camera, NIR and UV-VIS spectrometers, and other diagnostic instruments, test data on various graphite, LI-900, FiberForm, and PICA test samples were obtained, using target heat flux conditions of 100, 200, and 400 W/cm 2 . From the test campaign, measurements of particle velocity, acceleration and trajectory are obtained.
A Martin↗
Limits for the accretion time of the earth from cosmogenic Ne-21 produced in planetesimals
Arguments are presented which show that no more than 23% of all neon-21 in the atmosphere consists of spallation Ne-21 formed by the bombardment of the earth's accreting objects by galactic cosmic rays. The amount of spallation Ne-21 depends strongly on the interpretation of the primitive, 'unirradiated' neon in the atmosphere. On the assumptions that (1) the planetesimals were irradiated by galactic cosmic rays of present-day intensity, (2) their mean lifetimes against accretion were 0.1 billion years, and (3) spallation Ne-21 was quantitatively retained by the accreting earth, and on the basis of Anders' (1965) reconstructed size distribution No. 2 of asteroids, the number of spallation Ne-21 atoms yielded amounts to 8.7% of the total number of Ne-21 atoms now on earth.
Heymann, D.↗
Solar cosmic ray produced neon in lunar soils and their implication for gas-rich meteorite studies
Characteristic neon isotopic ratios, produced due to solar cosmic ray spallation (SCR) in lunar soils, are useful in deciphering and estimating the relative contributions of SCR and GCR spallation. To delineate these features, etched mineral grains from mature and immature lunar soils (14148 and 61221 respectively) were analyzed using mass spectrometry. The SF-Ne composition deduced in this work agrees with that obtained from earlier etched lunar pyroxene studies. The data points for mature soil 14148 define a line which significantly deviates from the 61221 tie line. This deviation is attributed to the presence of SCR spallation component. In this context, neon isotopic compositions (step-wise heating) in Pantar and Leighton dark portions were studied and compared with that of Fayetteville. The meteorite data points deviate significantly from the tie line joining SF-Ne and GCR (pyroxene) end points. This deviation is attributed to SCR-spallation in gas-rich chondrites.
Nautiyal, C. M.↗
Mechanisms of degradation and failure in a plasma deposited thermal barrier coating
Failure of a two layer plasma deposited thermal barrier coating is caused by cyclic thermal exposure and occurs by spallation of the outer ceramic layer. Spallation life is quantitatively predictable, based on the severity of cyclic thermal exposure. This paper describes and attempts to explain unusual constitutive behavior observed in the insulative ceramic coating layer, and presents details of the ceramic cracking damage accumulation process which is responsible for spallation failure. Comments also are offered to rationalize the previously documented influence of interfacial oxidation on ceramic damage accumulation and spallation life.
Demasi-Marcin, Jeanine T.↗
Kinetics of Cyclic Oxidation and Cracking and Finite Element Analysis of MA956 and Sapphire/MA956 Composite System
Sapphire fiber-reinforced MA956 composites hold promise for significant weight savings and increased high-temperature structural capability, as compared to unreinforced MA956. As part of an overall assessment of the high-temperature characteristics of this material system, cyclic oxidation behavior was studied at 1093 C and 1204 C. Initially, both sets of coupons exhibited parabolic oxidation kinetics. Later, monolithic MA956 exhibited spallation and a linear weight loss, whereas the composite showed a linear weight gain without spallation. Weight loss of the monolithic MA956 resulted from the linking of a multiplicity of randomly oriented and closely spaced surface cracks that facilitated ready spallation. By contrast, cracking of the composite's oxide layer was nonintersecting and aligned nominally parallel with the orientation of the subsurface reinforcing fibers. Oxidative lifetime of monolithic MA956 was projected from the observed oxidation kinetics. Linear elastic, finite element continuum, and micromechanics analyses were performed on coupons of the monolithic and composite materials. Results of the analyses qualitatively agreed well with the observed oxide cracking and spallation behavior of both the MA956 and the Sapphire/MA956 composite coupons.
Lee, Kang N.↗
Boundary-Layer Flow Simulations Over Ablating Woven Thermal Protection System Material
Spallation is the mechanical removal of small chunks of material gets removed typically due to high shear conditions of the flow field. This reduces the ability of the thermal protection system (TPS) material to protect the spacecraft as well as cause turbulence in the flow causing higher heating rates. In this work, we focus on the material removal through ablation and high shear flow within the boundary layer region of woven TPS material. Woven TPS (WTPS) material is the latest class of material developed by NASA, to be used within the next generation of space flights. They are complex interlocked weaves designed to create a rigid structure that is highly resistant to heat and can be easily designed and tailored for a wide variety of entry environments. Due to material removal resulting from chemical degradation, the structural integrity of TPS material is affected. Spallation occurs when this structurally compromised material is exposed to the high shear flow conditions within the boundary layer. In order to understand the spallation mechanism within WTPS material, we first perform the material removal simulations which occur primarily through oxidation to obtain the microstructure at various stages of degradation. These simulations are performed using the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software developed at NASA Ames. The micro-structure geometry used within these simulations were generated artificially to be similar to the 3D weave architecture of MSR-EEV (Mars Sample Return - Earth Entry Vehicle). The various eroded TPS micro-structures are then subjected to the boundary layer flow conditions to obtain critical surface quantities which contribute to the structural failure mechanism such as heat flux, pressure, and shear stress. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methodology is used to perform these simulations in order to accurately capture the strong gradients within the high-temperature boundary layer flow over the intricate geometry of WTPS material. The boundary layer profile is directly taken from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and provided as boundary conditions to the DSMC inlet and outlet. Further, the variation of these properties as the microstructure undergoes changes due to oxidation is also investigated. Finally, these quantities are used as input in PuMA to understand the material expansion/compression and strain within the woven TPS geometry and help in developing a comprehensive spallation and structure failure model.
microstructure↗
Boundary-Layer Flow Simulations Over Ablating Woven Thermal Protection System Material
Spallation is the mechanical removal of small chunks of material gets removed typically due to high shear conditions of the flow field. This reduces the ability of the thermal protection system (TPS) material to protect the spacecraft as well as cause turbulence in the flow causing higher heating rates. In this work, we focus on the material removal through ablation and high shear flow within the boundary layer region of woven TPS material. Woven TPS (WTPS) material is the latest class of material developed by NASA, to be used within the next generation of space flights. They are complex interlocked weaves designed to create a rigid structure that is highly resistant to heat and can be easily designed and tailored for a wide variety of entry environments. Due to material removal resulting from chemical degradation, the structural integrity of TPS material is affected. Spallation occurs when this structurally compromised material is exposed to the high shear flow conditions within the boundary layer. In order to understand the spallation mechanism within WTPS material, we first perform the material removal simulations which occur primarily through oxidation to obtain the microstructure at various stages of degradation. These simulations are performed using the Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software developed at NASA Ames. The micro-structure geometry used within these simulations were generated artificially to be similar to the 3D weave architecture of MSR-EEV (Mars Sample Return - Earth Entry Vehicle). The various eroded TPS micro-structures are then subjected to the boundary layer flow conditions to obtain critical surface quantities which contribute to the structural failure mechanism such as heat flux, pressure, and shear stress. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) methodology is used to perform these simulations in order to accurately capture the strong gradients within the high-temperature boundary layer flow over the intricate geometry of WTPS material. The boundary layer profile is directly taken from the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation and provided as boundary conditions to the DSMC inlet and outlet. Further, the variation of these properties as the microstructure undergoes changes due to oxidation is also investigated. Finally, these quantities are used as input in PuMA to understand the material expansion/compression and strain within the woven TPS geometry and help in developing a comprehensive spallation and structure failure model.
microstructure↗
Dynamic response of 17-4 stainless steel as a function of manufacturing method and heat treatment
We present a series of plate-impact experiments on 17-4 stainless steel to study the effect of manufacturing method and heat treatment on the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL), Hugoniot, phase transformation stress, and spallation strength. Two traditional manufacturing methods were considered, wrought processing and casting, as well as two additive manufacturing methods, laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) and wire-fed electron beam (EBAM). For both LPBF and EBAM 17-4 stainless steel variants, two billets were printed, enabling the application of two unique heat treatments. The HEL stress depended heavily on the thermal history, with the HEL increasing after the formation of Cu-rich precipitates via heat treatment. The Hugoniot response both below and above the phase transition was unaffected by the manufacturing method or heat treatment. The phase transition stress depended heavily on the thermal history, with its variation being attributed to the presence of various microstructural features. This is supported by a marked increase in the phase transition stress after precipitation hardening. These results suggest that the notion of the phase transition stress being dictated by bulk composition is an oversimplification and the stress fields generated by the meso-scale structure are a dominant force. The spallation strength was lower in the cast material compared to all other 17-4 stainless steel variants due to the presence of brittle δ-ferrite inclusions. Additionally, a drop in the tensile strain-rate was observed in the spallation response above the phase transition stress, which was hypothesized to stem from the kinetics of the reversion to the low-pressure phase during spall.
Compressive stress↗
Microcraters formed in hot glass by hypervelocity projectiles
Microcraters were formed in heated soda-lime glass by the normal incidence of spheres of plastic or fused silica with diameters between 0.8 and 4.5 microns and velocities between 2.5 and 10 km/s. The morphology of the craters in targets at temperatures up to 800 C is little different from those formed in unheated glass. Spallation still occurs to the same extent and above the same velocity threshold, but the spalls sag and sharp edges become dull in a few seconds at temperatures above the softening point. There is a small increase in the flow of glass from the central pit into a narrow lip at the higher temperatures, but this lip is often removed by spallation, especially at the higher velocities of impact. There is no evidence of a splashed lip with strings of melt overlying the spalled area. The results in conjunction with other evidence suggest that most lunar craters of micrometer size with a smooth central pit, splashed lip, and a spallation zone are the result of primary impacts.
Vedder, J. F.↗
Helium /3/ rich solar flares
Several aspects of a solar flare model that emphasizes evidence for the formation of current filaments as mechanisms of field dissipation are discussed. The origin of flare magnetic fields is considered, along with the thermal distribution, electron density, and high-energy X ray emission of flares. It is suggested that the extreme He-3 enrichment in some solar flares is due to spallation and the subsequent confinement of spallation products in a high-temperature high-density plasma associated with the magnetic instability that produces the flare. A current filament is assumed to produce the spallation and maintain the temperature that yields the high-energy X-ray spectrum and depletes the isotopes D, Li, Be, and B, as observed.
Colgate, S. A.↗
Studies on cosmogenic nuclides in meteorites with regard to an application as potential depth indicators
Measurements of stable and radioactive spallation products in meteorites allow to investigate their histories, especially with respect to the exposure to galactic cosmic ray particles and the pre-atmospheric size of the object. While the concentrations of spallation products lead to the determination of exposure and terrestrial ages, production rate ratios are characteristic for the location of the sample in the meteorite. So, one of the aims of this investigation on meteorites is to obtain depth indicators from suitable pairs of cosmogenic nuclides. Because of the different depth profiles for nuclide productions it is necessary to determine the concentrations of a larger number of spallation products in aliquots of a single small sample. Such same sample measurements of Be-10 and light noble gases were performed on 15 ordinary chondrites (7 H- and 8 L-chondrites. Be-10 was determined by accelerator mass spectrometry and the noble gases were measured by static mass spectrometry. The results are summarized and discussed.
Sarafin, R.↗
Oxidation behavior of FeAl+Hf,Zr,B
The oxidation behavior of Fe-40Al-1Hf, Fe-40Al-1Hf-0.4B, and Fe-40Al-0.1Zr-0.4B (at. percent) alloys was characterized after 900, 1000, and 100 C exposures. Isothermal tests revealed parabolic kinetics after a period of transitional theta-alumina scale growth. The parabolic growth rates for the subsequent alpha-alumina scales were about five times higher than those for NiAl+0.1Zr alloys. The isothermally grown scales showed a propensity toward massive scale spallation due to both extensive rumpling from growth stresses and to an inner layer of HfO2. Cyclic oxidation for 200 1-hr cycles produced little degradation at 900 or 1000 C, but caused significant spallation at 1100 C in the form of small segments of the outer scale. The major difference in the cyclic oxidation of the three FeAl alloys was increased initial spallation for FeAl+Zr,B. Although these FeAl alloys showed many similarities to NiAl alloys, they were generally less oxidation resistant. It is believed that this resulted from nonoptimal levels of dopants and larger thermal expansion mismatch stresses.
Smialek, James L.↗
Oxidation behavior of FeAl+Hf,Zr,B
The oxidation behavior of Fe-40Al-1Hf, Fe-40Al-1Hf-0.4B, and Fe-40Al-0.1Zr-0.4B (at. percent) alloys was characterized after 900, 1000, and 100 C exposures. Isothermal tests revealed parabolic kinetics after a period of transitional theta-alumina scale growth. The parabolic growth rates for the subsequent alpha-alumina scales were about five times higher than those for NiAl+0.1Zr alloys. The isothermally grown scales showed a propensity toward massive scale spallation due to both extensive rumpling from growth stresses and to an inner layer of Hf02. Cyclic oxidation for 200 1-hr cycles produced little degradation at 900 or 1000 C, but caused significant spallation at 1100 C in the form of small segments of the outer scale. The major difference in the cyclic oxidation of the three FeAl alloys was increased initial spallation for FeAl+Zr,B. Although these FeAl alloys showed many similarities to NiAl alloys, they were generally less oxidation resistant. It is believed that this resulted from nonoptimal levels of dopants and larger thermal expansion mismatch stresses.
Smialek, James L.↗