| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2024 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Accelerated Qualification of Nuclear Materials Integrating Experiments, Modeling, and Theories
|
| Presentation Title |
High-burnup Structure Formation and Associated Fission Product Diffusion in UO2 |
| Author(s) |
Sudipta Biswas, Lingfeng He, Dewen Yushu, Prithivirajan Veerappan, Linu Malakkal, Cameron Howard, Chao Jiang |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sudipta Biswas |
| Abstract Scope |
In nuclear fuel, exposure to extended burnup leads to 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 demonstrate HBS formation in UO2 and systematically investigate different contributing mechanisms. The effect of irradiation on grain subdivision 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. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Computational Materials Science & Engineering, Modeling and Simulation |