Structure and thermal properties of as-fabricated U-7Mo/Mg and U-10Mo/Mg low-enriched uranium research reactor fuels

JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS

卷:484

Article

Kulakov, Mykola¹  Saoudi, Mouna¹  Piro, Markus H. A.²  Donaberger, Ronald L.³ 

[1] Canadian Nucl Labs, Fuel Dev Branch, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada

[2] Canadian Nucl Labs, Fuel & Fuel Channel Safety Branch, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada

[3] Canadian Neutron Beam Ctr, Chalk River, ON K0J 1J0, Canada

关键词: Low-enriched uranium research reactor fuel;    Uranium-molybdenum;    Magnesium matrix;    Microstructure;    Thermal properties;    In-reactor fuel temperature;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jnucmat.2016.12.005

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Aluminum-clad U-7Mo/Mg and U-10Mo/Mg pin-type mini-elements (with a core uranium loading of 4.5 gU/cm(3)) have been fabricated at the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories for experimental tests and ultimately for use in research and test reactors. In this study, the microstructure and phase composition of unirradiated U-7Mo/Mg and U-10Mo/Mg fuel cores were analyzed using optical and scanning electron microscopy, and neutron powder diffraction. Thermal properties were characterized using a combination of experimental measurements and thermodynamic calculations. The thermal diffusivity was measured using the laser flash method. The temperature-dependent specific heat capacities were calculated based on the linear rule of mixture using the weight fraction of different crystalline phases and their specific heat capacity values taken from the literature. The thermal conductivity was then calculated using the measured thermal diffusivity, the measured density and the calculated specific heat capacity. The resulting thermal conductivity is practically identical for both types of fuel. The in-reactor temperatures were predicted using conjugate heat transfer simulations. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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