| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Advanced Characterization of Materials for Nuclear, Radiation, and Extreme Environments IV
|
| Presentation Title |
Interdiffusion Behaviour of UN with Zircaloy-4 via Diffusion Couple Studies |
| Author(s) |
Max Salata-Barnett, James Buckley, James Paul, Dave Goddard, Tim Abram |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Max Salata-Barnett |
| Abstract Scope |
Uranium nitride (UN) has been of particular focus recently as an advanced fuel candidate for light water reactors (LWRs) having both a high uranium density and thermal conductivity. The interaction between UN and zirconium alloys has not been studied in great detail. To assess fuel-clad suitability, diffusion couples between UN and zircalloy-4 have been performed up to 1000°C for durations up to 100 hours. Minimal interaction was observed at low temperatures (400°C). At temperatures of 700°C and above, interaction was observed resulting in bonding of the UN and Zircalloy-4. Investigation via electron microscopy has revealed significant migration of uranium into the Zircalloy-4, up to depths of 500 µm within the 100 hour experiments. In addition to the movement of uranium, other elements within the fuel-clad combination also undergo relocation and form additional phases at the contact interface. This study applies modern techniques to enhance the limited data available. |