| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2025 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Microstructural, Mechanical, and Chemical Behavior of Solid Nuclear Fuel and Fuel-Cladding Interface II
|
| Presentation Title |
Implications of Accurate Point Defects Estimation on UO2 Thermal Conductivity and Fission Gas Release for Accelerated Fuel Irradiation |
| Author(s) |
Mutaz Alshannaq, Charlie Owen, Joshua Ferrigno, Marat Khafizov, Hany S. Abdel-Khalik |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Mutaz Alshannaq |
| Abstract Scope |
During reactor operation, thermal conductivity of nuclear fuel degrades due to the accumulation of point defects (PDs) and fission products. Consequently, it affects the temperature profile and fission gas release (FGR). The Lucuta correlation (LC) widely used in fuel performance codes is based on physics-based principles of phonons that account for the effects of fuel burnup (dissolved fission and precipitate fission products), fuel porosity, stoichiometric impact, and radiation damage. Similar to Lucuta model, Ronchi model captures self-irradiation damage and fission gas bubbles. Nonetheless, both models treat the effects of radiation-induced defects empirically. This study assessed how mesoscale PDs affect UO2 lattice thermal conductivity by predicting defect concentration using Rate Theory model and analyzing their impact on FGR carefully, considering the evolution of intragranular and intergranular fission gas bubbles. Finally, we analyze the impact of these effects under the accelerated irradiation of nuclear fuels. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Modeling and Simulation, Other |