About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2021 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
Symposium
|
Accelerated Discovery and Qualification of Nuclear Materials for Energy Applications
|
Presentation Title |
Modeling and Analysis of the Effects of the Microstructure on U-10Mo Fuel Thickness Variation during Hot Rolling |
Author(s) |
Lei Li, Vineet V Joshi, Ayoub Soulami |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Lei Li |
Abstract Scope |
Low-enriched uranium metal alloyed with 10wt% molybdenum (U-10Mo) is being developed by the NNSA to replace high-enriched uranium fuel to minimize the risk of nuclear proliferation while still meeting the neutron flux requirements in the U.S. high-performance research reactors. During hot rolling, cast U-10Mo ingots are sandwiched between two zirconium (Zr) sheets and then loaded into a steel can. Experimental observations of the hot-rolled samples indicate undesirable U-10Mo and Zr thickness variations in the fuel foil product after hot rolling. In this work, a microstructure-based finite element model was developed to investigate the effects of as-cast microstructural attributes on thickness variation in fuel foil and the resultant Zr interlayer. Parametric study on the effect of U-10Mo grain size, porosity, carbides, and hot roll can materials on the fuel and Zr interlayer variation was conducted. The potential for this modeling to guide the U-10Mo fabrication process of fuel foils is discussed. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
Keywords |
Other, Other, Other |