Research on U-Zr-based Metallic Fuel Additives and Performance Improvement for Fuel-Cladding Chemical Interaction and Phase Optimization

Zhuo Weiqian

doi:10.13832/j.jnpe.2023.S1.0158

Volume 44 Issue S1

Jun. 2023

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Zhuo Weiqian. Research on U-Zr-based Metallic Fuel Additives and Performance Improvement for Fuel-Cladding Chemical Interaction and Phase Optimization[J]. Nuclear Power Engineering, 2023, 44(S1): 158-162. doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2023.S1.0158

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Zhuo Weiqian. Research on U-Zr-based Metallic Fuel Additives and Performance Improvement for Fuel-Cladding Chemical Interaction and Phase Optimization[J]. Nuclear Power Engineering, 2023, 44(S1): 158-162. doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2023.S1.0158

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Research on U-Zr-based Metallic Fuel Additives and Performance Improvement for Fuel-Cladding Chemical Interaction and Phase Optimization

doi: 10.13832/j.jnpe.2023.S1.0158

Zhuo Weiqian

Science and Technology on Reactor Fuel and Materials Laboratory, Nuclear Power Institute of China, Chengdu, 610213, China

Received Date: 2023-02-21
Rev Recd Date: 2023-04-29
Publish Date: 2023-06-15

Abstract

Abstract

The current work focuses on the fuel additives Sb, Mo, Nb, and Ti for U-Zr-based metallic fuel in order to mitigate fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) and optimize the fuel phase. A series of U-Zr-based fuel samples were evaluated out-of-pile by diffusion couple tests and annealing tests, and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The additive Sb was used to mitigate FCCI under high burnup. The results showed that Sb formed precipitates with lanthanide Ce, and the precipitates did not react with cladding materials. This indicates that the additive Sb is a promising candidate to solve the FCCI problem under high burnup. The additives Mo, Nb and Ti were used to optimize the γ phase transition temperature of metallic fuel. It was found that Mo and Nb could reduce the transition temperature of γ phase, and the effect of Mo was better than that of Nb. The results in this work can provide fundamental data for the advanced fuel design in the future.

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References

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