Abstract
Electron microprobe examinations were performed to characterize the chemical features of a full cross section of irradiated nuclear fuel from the FUTURIX-FTA experiment. This experiment investigated the nuclear fuel performance of a candidate fuel alloy intended for the transmutation of long-lived minor actinides in a fast neutron spectrum. The irradiated fuel, designated FUTURIX-FTA DOE1, was composed of 34.1U-28.3Pu-3.8Am-2.1Np-31.7Zr (where the preceding numbers indicate concentrations in weight %). The fuel was irradiated in the Phénix sodium fast reactor in France to a measured burnup of 9.5% fissions per initial heavy metal atom (FIMA), and experienced a peak cladding temperature of 550 °C. Microprobe analysis showed elemental redistribution of Zr and U where Zr has increased in concentration in the fuel center from an initially fabricated content of 31.7 wt % to 41.5 wt%, and U decreased from 34.1 wt% to 24.8 wt%. From the center of the fuel extending out radially approximately 1 mm, the fuel represented dominantly a single phase. Beyond this region to the fuel periphery, the fuel separated into two major phases, descibed by their composition as a (U, Np, Pu) Zr2-like phase and a high uranium content-low zirconium content phase. From the outer radius of the fuel extending approximately 1.7 mm radially into the fuel, americium, lanthanide elements, and actinide elements precipitated in a phase whose chemical analysis resembles Nd7(Pd, Rh)3. In addition, americium occurred as a dissolved species in the major fuel phases. Sm and Am penetrated up to 15 μm into the cladding along presumed grain boundaries, while major cladding elements Fe, Ni, and Cr penetrated at least 30 μm into the fuel. No phase formation between cladding elements and fuel elements was observed as the result of cladding element diffusion into the fuel.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 151745 |
| Journal | Journal of Nuclear Materials |
| Volume | 526 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2019 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
We would like to thank Dr. Douglas Porter and Dr. Jian Gan of INL, who reviewed this article and provided excellent suggestions for improvement. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped us to improve substantially this manuscript. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07- 051D14517 as part of the Nuclear Science User Facilities and the Advanced Fuels Campaign of the Nuclear Technology Research and Development program in the Office of Nuclear Energy. The manuscript has been authored by a contractor of the U.S. Government. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, royalty free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. We would like to thank Dr. Douglas Porter and Dr. Jian Gan of INL, who reviewed this article and provided excellent suggestions for improvement. We would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped us to improve substantially this manuscript. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy under DOE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07- 051D14517 as part of the Nuclear Science User Facilities and the Advanced Fuels Campaign of the Nuclear Technology Research and Development program in the Office of Nuclear Energy. The manuscript has been authored by a contractor of the U.S. Government. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains a non-exclusive, royalty free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| DOE Idaho Operations Office | |
| Nuclear Science User Facilities and the Advanced Fuels Campaign of the Nuclear Technology Research | |
| U.S. Government | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | DE-AC07- 051D14517 |
| Office of Nuclear Energy | |
| Research and Development |