| Abstract Scope |
Uranium oxide (UO2) is the most common fuel in current light water reactors. Generation IV reactor concepts under development utilize a number of different uranium-based fuel types, such as metallic alloys, uranium nitride and carbides, TRISO particles with uranium oxycarbide fuel kernels as well as traditional UO2. Regardless of fuel type, mass transport is important for in-reactor performance because of its role in governing swelling, release of fission gases, creep and densification, among others. In this presentation I will review work on modeling mass transport in several uranium-based fuel types from the atomic to meso-scale, which utilizes DFT, empirical potentials, cluster dynamics and phase field, after which I will explain the importance for fuel performance by connecting mass transport and diffusion to swelling, release of fission gases and creep at the engineering scale. The influence of uranium 5f electrons on these behaviors will be highlighted. |