About this Abstract |
Meeting |
MS&T24: Materials Science & Technology
|
Symposium
|
Ceramic Materials for Nuclear Energy Systems
|
Presentation Title |
High-Burnup Structure Formation and Associated Fission Product Diffusion in UO2 |
Author(s) |
Sudipta Biswas, Dewen Yushu, Veerappan Prithivirajan, Linu Malakkal, Cameron Howard, Lingfeng He |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sudipta Biswas |
Abstract Scope |
In nuclear fuel, exposure to extended burnup causes the formation of a refined grain structure, known as the high-burnup structure (HBS), which generates the risk of performance degradation and failure. Here, we integrate experimental and modeling techniques to investigate different contributing mechanisms and demonstrate HBS formation in UO2. The effect of irradiation on grain and fission product evolution is studied through in-situ ion-irradiation experiments on spent UO2 fuel. Additionally, a phase-field model coupled with crystal-plasticity is developed to capture the restructuring process and concurrent fission product evolution at the mesoscale. This work seeks to answer to the basic science question regarding the mechanisms responsible for HBS formation and aims to deliver an experimentally validated computational capability for predicting grain subdivision. Having an enhanced understanding and predictive capabilities for the microstructural evolution of nuclear fuel is important for the accelerated development, qualification, and deployment of new materials for advanced reactors. |