| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2020 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Radiation Effects in Metals and Ceramics
|
| Presentation Title |
Investigation of High Burnup Ceramic Fuel Microstructure at Idaho National Laboratory |
| Author(s) |
Fabiola Cappia, Geoffrey Beausoleil, Alex J. Winston, Daniel J. Murray, Brandon D. Miller, LingFeng He, Fei Teng |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Fabiola Cappia |
| Abstract Scope |
Nuclear fuels are subjected to extreme conditions both in terms of temperature and radiation fields, which induce significant microstructural changes. For ceramics used in Light Water Reactors (LWRs) the most notable microstructure modification is the formation of the High Burnup Structure (HBS). The HBS is characterized by grain subdivision and a notable increase in the porosity. As the presence of the HBS could relate to the enhanced fragmentation of the fuel at high burnup during design-basis accidents, investigation of the fuel radial microstructure and its relationship to the irradiation history is of paramount importance to understand HBS formation and implications for fuel safety. Recently, experimental campaigns have been undertaken at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to study the fuel restructuring with state-of-the-art techniques. This work presents new results related to ceramic fuels microstructure, with focus on restructuring and fission gas bubbles, both in LWR and Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) fuels. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Supplemental Proceedings volume |