Phase-field simulations of intergranular fission gas bubble behavior in U3Si2 nuclear fuel

JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS

卷:541

Article

Aagesen, Larry K.¹  Andersson, David²  Beeler, Benjamin W.³  Cooper, Michael W. D.²  Gamble, Kyle A.¹  Miao, Yinbin⁴  Pastore, Giovanni¹  Tonks, Michael R.⁵ 

[1] Idaho Natl Lab, Computat Mech & Mat Dept, POB 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 USA

[2] Los Alamos Natl Lab, Mat Sci & Technol Div, POB 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA

[3] North Carolina State Univ, Dept Nucl Engn, Raleigh, NC 27695 USA

[4] Argonne Natl Lab, Lemont, IL 60439 USA

[5] Univ Florida, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, POB 116400, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA

关键词: Phase-field;    Fission gas;    Uranium silicide;    Accident tolerant fuel;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152415

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

U3Si2 is a potential accident-tolerant fuel that shows promise due to its high thermal conductivity and higher uranium density relative to UO2. However, its swelling and fission gas release behavior in light water reactor (LWR) conditions is relatively unknown. To provide mechanistic insight and determine parameters for engineering-scale fuel performance modeling of pellet-form U3Si2, phase-field simulations of the growth, interconnection, and venting of intergranular fission gas bubbles were performed. The fractional coverage of the grain boundary and the fraction of bubble area that is vented were calculated as a function of time. From the simulation data, the fractional grain boundary coverage at saturation, an important parameter needed in engineering-scale modeling of swelling and fission gas release, was determined. Multiple simulations were run to determine the uncertainty in the calculated value. The effect of model assumptions and input parameters that are not well known was evaluated. Simulation results are compared to related theoretical and computational work. Based on the simulation results, a value of 0.60 for the fractional grain boundary coverage at saturation is recommended for U3Si2 fuel. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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