Abstract
Uranium carbides are receiving renewed interest as a preferred nuclear fuel composition for advanced reactors due to their numerous favorable properties. Like many other refractory and transition metal carbides these compounds exist in both hypo- and hyper-stoichiometric compositions which results in significant variations in physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. This manuscript surveys both historic and recent literature to compile important properties data mainly as a function of temperature and carbon content to support fuel performance modeling. Expressions and fits for such properties are also suggested when allowed by complete data sets. The manuscript also attempts to highlight gaps and discrepancies in the reported data to assist the nuclear fuels community identify key areas that may require further attention in terms of future research and development.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 153145 |
| Journal | Journal of Nuclear Materials |
| Volume | 558 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2022 |
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 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). The authors of this manuscript would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Caleb Massey and Dr. Jake Hirschhorn of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in reviewing and suggesting improvements to this manuscript. The authors also extend special thanks to Ms. Renay Rose and Ms. Elizabeth Kirby of ORNL for their help with editing this manuscript.