TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project

Nicolas Woolstenhulme; Daniel Chapman; Nikolaus Cordes; Austin Fleming; Connie Hill; Colby Jensen; Jason Schulthess; Matthew Ramirez; Kory Linton; Danny Schappel; Gokul Vasudevamurthy

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154204

TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project

Nicolas Woolstenhulme, Daniel Chapman, Nikolaus Cordes, Austin Fleming, Connie Hill, Colby Jensen, Jason Schulthess, Matthew Ramirez, Kory Linton, Danny Schappel, Gokul Vasudevamurthy

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

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Specimens composed of a novel nuclear fuel architecture underwent testing in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) to investigate their behavior in thermomechanical states only possible with this type of testing. Uranium mononitride fuel kernels, with coatings typical of Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) systems, were loaded into additively manufacturing silicon carbide (SiC) canisters and treated by chemical vapor infiltration so that the TRISO particles were held in a fully ceramic SiC matrix. A metallic heat sink capsule was used in TREAT to test fresh fuel specimens under progressively higher energy depositions. Thermomechanical modeling and post transient examinations, including a unique application of x-ray computed tomography, showed that more energetic transients led to stronger temperature gradients, higher stresses, and increased level of fracturing in the specimens. While some specimens were subjected to challenging conditions, the level of fracturing observed did not show a measurable dimensional change or loss of specimen geometry. These results indicate that this fuel architecture has resilience to catastrophic failure under power pulse transients. Future experiments are recommended for specimens which have been previously irradiated in order to investigate the effects of fuel burnup and neutron fluence on transient fuel performance.

Original language	English
Article number	154204
Journal	Journal of Nuclear Materials
Volume	575
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154204
State	Published - Mar 2023

Funding

This work was supported through the Department of Energy Transformational Challenge Reactor project. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. 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 U.S. Government purposes. This work was supported through the Department of Energy Transformational Challenge Reactor project. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. 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 U.S. Government purposes. This research made use of the resources of the High-Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Science User Facilities under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517.

Keywords

Additive manufacturing
Computed tomography
Nuclear fuel
TREAT
Transient test

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154204

Cite this

Woolstenhulme, N., Chapman, D., Cordes, N., Fleming, A., Hill, C., Jensen, C., Schulthess, J., Ramirez, M., Linton, K., Schappel, D., & Vasudevamurthy, G. (2023). TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 575, Article 154204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154204

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title = "TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project",

abstract = "Specimens composed of a novel nuclear fuel architecture underwent testing in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) to investigate their behavior in thermomechanical states only possible with this type of testing. Uranium mononitride fuel kernels, with coatings typical of Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) systems, were loaded into additively manufacturing silicon carbide (SiC) canisters and treated by chemical vapor infiltration so that the TRISO particles were held in a fully ceramic SiC matrix. A metallic heat sink capsule was used in TREAT to test fresh fuel specimens under progressively higher energy depositions. Thermomechanical modeling and post transient examinations, including a unique application of x-ray computed tomography, showed that more energetic transients led to stronger temperature gradients, higher stresses, and increased level of fracturing in the specimens. While some specimens were subjected to challenging conditions, the level of fracturing observed did not show a measurable dimensional change or loss of specimen geometry. These results indicate that this fuel architecture has resilience to catastrophic failure under power pulse transients. Future experiments are recommended for specimens which have been previously irradiated in order to investigate the effects of fuel burnup and neutron fluence on transient fuel performance.",

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author = "Nicolas Woolstenhulme and Daniel Chapman and Nikolaus Cordes and Austin Fleming and Connie Hill and Colby Jensen and Jason Schulthess and Matthew Ramirez and Kory Linton and Danny Schappel and Gokul Vasudevamurthy",

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Woolstenhulme, N, Chapman, D, Cordes, N, Fleming, A, Hill, C, Jensen, C, Schulthess, J, Ramirez, M, Linton, K , Schappel, D & Vasudevamurthy, G 2023, 'TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project', Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 575, 154204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.154204

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T1 - TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project

AU - Woolstenhulme, Nicolas

AU - Chapman, Daniel

AU - Cordes, Nikolaus

AU - Fleming, Austin

AU - Hill, Connie

AU - Jensen, Colby

AU - Schulthess, Jason

AU - Ramirez, Matthew

AU - Linton, Kory

AU - Schappel, Danny

AU - Vasudevamurthy, Gokul

PY - 2023/3

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N2 - Specimens composed of a novel nuclear fuel architecture underwent testing in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) to investigate their behavior in thermomechanical states only possible with this type of testing. Uranium mononitride fuel kernels, with coatings typical of Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) systems, were loaded into additively manufacturing silicon carbide (SiC) canisters and treated by chemical vapor infiltration so that the TRISO particles were held in a fully ceramic SiC matrix. A metallic heat sink capsule was used in TREAT to test fresh fuel specimens under progressively higher energy depositions. Thermomechanical modeling and post transient examinations, including a unique application of x-ray computed tomography, showed that more energetic transients led to stronger temperature gradients, higher stresses, and increased level of fracturing in the specimens. While some specimens were subjected to challenging conditions, the level of fracturing observed did not show a measurable dimensional change or loss of specimen geometry. These results indicate that this fuel architecture has resilience to catastrophic failure under power pulse transients. Future experiments are recommended for specimens which have been previously irradiated in order to investigate the effects of fuel burnup and neutron fluence on transient fuel performance.

AB - Specimens composed of a novel nuclear fuel architecture underwent testing in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) to investigate their behavior in thermomechanical states only possible with this type of testing. Uranium mononitride fuel kernels, with coatings typical of Tristructural Isotropic (TRISO) systems, were loaded into additively manufacturing silicon carbide (SiC) canisters and treated by chemical vapor infiltration so that the TRISO particles were held in a fully ceramic SiC matrix. A metallic heat sink capsule was used in TREAT to test fresh fuel specimens under progressively higher energy depositions. Thermomechanical modeling and post transient examinations, including a unique application of x-ray computed tomography, showed that more energetic transients led to stronger temperature gradients, higher stresses, and increased level of fracturing in the specimens. While some specimens were subjected to challenging conditions, the level of fracturing observed did not show a measurable dimensional change or loss of specimen geometry. These results indicate that this fuel architecture has resilience to catastrophic failure under power pulse transients. Future experiments are recommended for specimens which have been previously irradiated in order to investigate the effects of fuel burnup and neutron fluence on transient fuel performance.

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KW - Computed tomography

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TREAT testing of additively manufactured SiC canisters loaded with high density TRISO fuel for the Transformational Challenge Reactor project

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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