Electron microscopy characterization of the fuel-cladding interaction in medium burnup annular fast reactor MOX

F. Cappia; A. Winston; B. Miller; B. Kombaiah; F. Teng; D. Murray; D. Frazer; J. M. Harp

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152922

Electron microscopy characterization of the fuel-cladding interaction in medium burnup annular fast reactor MOX

F. Cappia, A. Winston, B. Miller, B. Kombaiah, F. Teng, D. Murray, D. Frazer, J. M. Harp

Nuclear Fuel Element Performance

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Abstract

In this work, we present electron microscopy data focused on the fuel-cladding interaction layer in annular fast reactor MOX with HT-9 cladding at medium burnup. In agreement with previous literature data, the volatile fission products Cs, Te and I have migrated radially into the extreme fuel periphery and partially interacted with the cladding. The accumulation of Cs has occurred in the outermost rim of the fuel pellet, where grain recrystallization has also been observed. Significant amounts of Pd have been found in the interaction zone, particularly in the sample taken from the upper half of the fissile column where the cladding temperatures are higher. At this axial location, Cr has been enriched at the cladding inner surface and diffused into the fuel. Chromium remains mainly in metallic form, but locally formed oxides. The fission products Cs, Te and I are found, with variable composition, in form of nanocrystalline regions dispersed in the metallic Cr-rich layer. The morphology and chemical characteristics of the layer suggest a non-oxidative corrosion mechanism as principal cladding degradation phenomenon occurring in this sample, with local onset of Cr oxidation within the nanocrystalline precipitates.

Original language	English
Article number	152922
Journal	Journal of Nuclear Materials
Volume	551
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152922
State	Published - Aug 1 2021

Funding

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-051D14517 as part of the Nuclear Science User Facilities ( NSUF ) Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research ( CINR ) Project 17-12976 . We acknowledge the U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Fuels Campaign of the Nuclear Technology Research and Development program in the Office of Nuclear Energy for allowing to use the material in this project. The authors are indebted to A. Pomo (INL) for preparation of the samples for SEM. We thank M. Taylor, J. Merrill, P. Bragg, the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory operation staff and C. Knight (INL) for their technical and administrative support for this project. This manuscript has been authored by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517 with the U.S. Department of Energy. This manuscript has also been authored in part by a contractor from UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes.

Keywords

Annular MOX
FCCI
HT-9 cladding
SEM
Sodium fast reactors
TEM

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10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152922

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title = "Electron microscopy characterization of the fuel-cladding interaction in medium burnup annular fast reactor MOX",

abstract = "In this work, we present electron microscopy data focused on the fuel-cladding interaction layer in annular fast reactor MOX with HT-9 cladding at medium burnup. In agreement with previous literature data, the volatile fission products Cs, Te and I have migrated radially into the extreme fuel periphery and partially interacted with the cladding. The accumulation of Cs has occurred in the outermost rim of the fuel pellet, where grain recrystallization has also been observed. Significant amounts of Pd have been found in the interaction zone, particularly in the sample taken from the upper half of the fissile column where the cladding temperatures are higher. At this axial location, Cr has been enriched at the cladding inner surface and diffused into the fuel. Chromium remains mainly in metallic form, but locally formed oxides. The fission products Cs, Te and I are found, with variable composition, in form of nanocrystalline regions dispersed in the metallic Cr-rich layer. The morphology and chemical characteristics of the layer suggest a non-oxidative corrosion mechanism as principal cladding degradation phenomenon occurring in this sample, with local onset of Cr oxidation within the nanocrystalline precipitates.",

keywords = "Annular MOX, FCCI, HT-9 cladding, SEM, Sodium fast reactors, TEM",

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AU - Cappia, F.

AU - Winston, A.

AU - Miller, B.

AU - Kombaiah, B.

AU - Teng, F.

AU - Murray, D.

AU - Frazer, D.

AU - Harp, J. M.

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N2 - In this work, we present electron microscopy data focused on the fuel-cladding interaction layer in annular fast reactor MOX with HT-9 cladding at medium burnup. In agreement with previous literature data, the volatile fission products Cs, Te and I have migrated radially into the extreme fuel periphery and partially interacted with the cladding. The accumulation of Cs has occurred in the outermost rim of the fuel pellet, where grain recrystallization has also been observed. Significant amounts of Pd have been found in the interaction zone, particularly in the sample taken from the upper half of the fissile column where the cladding temperatures are higher. At this axial location, Cr has been enriched at the cladding inner surface and diffused into the fuel. Chromium remains mainly in metallic form, but locally formed oxides. The fission products Cs, Te and I are found, with variable composition, in form of nanocrystalline regions dispersed in the metallic Cr-rich layer. The morphology and chemical characteristics of the layer suggest a non-oxidative corrosion mechanism as principal cladding degradation phenomenon occurring in this sample, with local onset of Cr oxidation within the nanocrystalline precipitates.

AB - In this work, we present electron microscopy data focused on the fuel-cladding interaction layer in annular fast reactor MOX with HT-9 cladding at medium burnup. In agreement with previous literature data, the volatile fission products Cs, Te and I have migrated radially into the extreme fuel periphery and partially interacted with the cladding. The accumulation of Cs has occurred in the outermost rim of the fuel pellet, where grain recrystallization has also been observed. Significant amounts of Pd have been found in the interaction zone, particularly in the sample taken from the upper half of the fissile column where the cladding temperatures are higher. At this axial location, Cr has been enriched at the cladding inner surface and diffused into the fuel. Chromium remains mainly in metallic form, but locally formed oxides. The fission products Cs, Te and I are found, with variable composition, in form of nanocrystalline regions dispersed in the metallic Cr-rich layer. The morphology and chemical characteristics of the layer suggest a non-oxidative corrosion mechanism as principal cladding degradation phenomenon occurring in this sample, with local onset of Cr oxidation within the nanocrystalline precipitates.

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KW - HT-9 cladding

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KW - Sodium fast reactors

KW - TEM

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Electron microscopy characterization of the fuel-cladding interaction in medium burnup annular fast reactor MOX

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Keywords

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