| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
Materials Science & Technology 2020
|
| Symposium
|
Advanced Characterization of Materials for Nuclear, Radiation, and Extreme Environments
|
| Presentation Title |
Investigation of Uranium Silicide Fuel Form Additions through Rietveld Refinement and Internal Standard P-XRD |
| Author(s) |
Zachary Acosta, Cole Moczygemba, Elizabeth Sooby Wood |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Zachary Acosta |
| Abstract Scope |
Uranium oxides have historically been utilized to power nuclear reactors due to their resistance to further oxidation and ease of large scale fabrication. However, other fuel forms may make more ideal candidates. U3Si2 has a higher thermal conductivity in addition to having a higher uranium density, making it more economical and less prone to cracking during thermal cycling. Interstitial additions may be introduced into the uranium silicide fuel form to boost lacking properties. Zirconium has been hypothesized as an ideal interstitial material due to its low neutron cross section and resistance to corrosion. Zirconium additions to U3Si2 were fabricated at 2%, 7%, and 14% by volume percent. These additions were characterized by powder-XRD, pre and post thermal solutionization, using the internal standard method and Rietveld refinement. The selected method allows for structural information to be derived about the atomic lattice, identification of secondary phases, and the quantification of interstitial mixing. |