Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction

Jiatu Liu; Claudia Gasparrini; Joshua T. White; Kyle Johnson; Denise Adorno Lopes; Vanessa K. Peterson; Andrew Studer; Grant J. Griffiths; Gregory R. Lumpkin; Mark R. Wenman; Patrick A. Burr; Elizabeth S. Sooby; Edward G. Obbard

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215

Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction

Jiatu Liu
, Claudia Gasparrini
, Joshua T. White
, Kyle Johnson
, Denise Adorno Lopes
, Vanessa K. Peterson
, Andrew Studer
, Grant J. Griffiths
, Gregory R. Lumpkin
, Mark R. Wenman
, Patrick A. Burr
, Elizabeth S. Sooby
, Edward G. Obbard

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

In situ neutron powder diffraction experiments are applied to physical, kinetic, and microstructural characterization of uranium mononitride as a promising light water reactor fuel material. The temperature-variable coefficient of thermal expansion and isotropic Debye Waller factors are obtained by sequential Rietveld refinement over 499–1873 K. Oxidation of a UN pellet (95.2% density) under flow of 11 mg/min D₂O is observed to initiate above 623 K and the rate increases by a factor of approximately 10 from 673 to 773 K, with activation energy 50.6 ± 1.3 kJ/mol; uranium oxide is the only solid corrosion product.

Original language	English
Article number	154215
Journal	Journal of Nuclear Materials
Volume	575
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215
State	Published - Mar 2023
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The authors acknowledge contributions made by Chris Baldwin, Dr. Deborah Wakeham and Dr Daniel J. Gregg in the planning and execution of experiments; funding for beamtime proposals P6904 and P8186 at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering; CG and MRW: EPSRC funding under grant no. EP/P005101/1; CG: UNSW Sydney Women in Engineering Travel Award; EGO and PAB: funding from ANSTO and the Sir William Tyree Foundation.

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10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215

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Liu, J., Gasparrini, C., White, J. T., Johnson, K., Lopes, D. A., Peterson, V. K., Studer, A., Griffiths, G. J., Lumpkin, G. R., Wenman, M. R., Burr, P. A., Sooby, E. S., & Obbard, E. G. (2023). Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 575, Article 154215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215

@article{4e3c4e96b19f4a10b9c9d418c2941f6c,

title = "Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction",

abstract = "In situ neutron powder diffraction experiments are applied to physical, kinetic, and microstructural characterization of uranium mononitride as a promising light water reactor fuel material. The temperature-variable coefficient of thermal expansion and isotropic Debye Waller factors are obtained by sequential Rietveld refinement over 499–1873 K. Oxidation of a UN pellet (95.2\% density) under flow of 11 mg/min D2O is observed to initiate above 623 K and the rate increases by a factor of approximately 10 from 673 to 773 K, with activation energy 50.6 ± 1.3 kJ/mol; uranium oxide is the only solid corrosion product.",

author = "Jiatu Liu and Claudia Gasparrini and White, \{Joshua T.\} and Kyle Johnson and Lopes, \{Denise Adorno\} and Peterson, \{Vanessa K.\} and Andrew Studer and Griffiths, \{Grant J.\} and Lumpkin, \{Gregory R.\} and Wenman, \{Mark R.\} and Burr, \{Patrick A.\} and Sooby, \{Elizabeth S.\} and Obbard, \{Edward G.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",

year = "2023",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215",

language = "English",

volume = "575",

journal = "Journal of Nuclear Materials",

issn = "0022-3115",

publisher = "Elsevier",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction

AU - Liu, Jiatu

AU - Gasparrini, Claudia

AU - White, Joshua T.

AU - Johnson, Kyle

AU - Lopes, Denise Adorno

AU - Peterson, Vanessa K.

AU - Studer, Andrew

AU - Griffiths, Grant J.

AU - Lumpkin, Gregory R.

AU - Wenman, Mark R.

AU - Burr, Patrick A.

AU - Sooby, Elizabeth S.

AU - Obbard, Edward G.

PY - 2023/3

Y1 - 2023/3

N2 - In situ neutron powder diffraction experiments are applied to physical, kinetic, and microstructural characterization of uranium mononitride as a promising light water reactor fuel material. The temperature-variable coefficient of thermal expansion and isotropic Debye Waller factors are obtained by sequential Rietveld refinement over 499–1873 K. Oxidation of a UN pellet (95.2% density) under flow of 11 mg/min D2O is observed to initiate above 623 K and the rate increases by a factor of approximately 10 from 673 to 773 K, with activation energy 50.6 ± 1.3 kJ/mol; uranium oxide is the only solid corrosion product.

AB - In situ neutron powder diffraction experiments are applied to physical, kinetic, and microstructural characterization of uranium mononitride as a promising light water reactor fuel material. The temperature-variable coefficient of thermal expansion and isotropic Debye Waller factors are obtained by sequential Rietveld refinement over 499–1873 K. Oxidation of a UN pellet (95.2% density) under flow of 11 mg/min D2O is observed to initiate above 623 K and the rate increases by a factor of approximately 10 from 673 to 773 K, with activation energy 50.6 ± 1.3 kJ/mol; uranium oxide is the only solid corrosion product.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85145208346

U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215

DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154215

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85145208346

SN - 0022-3115

VL - 575

JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials

JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials

M1 - 154215

ER -

Thermal expansion and steam oxidation of uranium mononitride analysed via in situ neutron diffraction

Abstract

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