Abstract
The Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Qualification and Development (AGR) program has focused on qualification of UCO kernel tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel relative to UO2 kernel TRISO particle fuel. However, a UO2 kernel variant was included in the second AGR irradiation experiment (AGR-2) for comparison and to connect to historic fuel irradiation data. The development of a multiscale, post-irradiation examination (PIE) analysis approach through the AGR Program has allowed for a comprehensive understanding of individual particle failure. This approach has been applied to gain an understanding of SiC layer failure in UO2 kernel TRISO fuel from AGR-2 after safety testing at 1600–1700 °C. Particle failure by intergranular CO corrosion, facilitated by a compromised inner pyrolytic carbon layer, has been confirmed through the combined application of modern x-ray computed tomography and electron microscopy techniques. Additionally, a relationship between grain boundary character and CO corrosion has been identified. This finding provides an opportunity to develop mitigating strategies to improve the resilience of the SiC layer to CO corrosion in UO2 TRISO fuel.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 152185 |
| Journal | Journal of Nuclear Materials |
| Volume | 537 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 15 2020 |
Funding
This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the US government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US government purposes. DOE will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan ( http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan ). This work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy - Advanced Reactor Technologies as part of the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program. FEI Talos was provided by the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Fuel Cycle R&D Program and the Nuclear Science User Facilities. The authors would like to specifically acknowledge Chuck Baldwin, Grant Helmreich, Fred Montgomery, and Bob Morris, whose hard work ultimately facilitated this research. This work was sponsored by the US Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy-Advanced Reactor Technologies as part of the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program. FEI Talos was provided by the US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Fuel Cycle R&D Program and the Nuclear Science User Facilities. The authors would like to specifically acknowledge Chuck Baldwin, Grant Helmreich, Fred Montgomery, and Bob Morris, whose hard work ultimately facilitated this research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program | |
| Office of Nuclear Energy - Advanced Reactor Technologies | |
| US Department of Energy | |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| Nuclear Reactor Technologies |
Keywords
- Corrosion
- TRISO
- UO