TY - JOUR
T1 - Non-destructive analysis of swelling in the EMPIrE fuel test
AU - Hanson, William
AU - Robinson, Adam
AU - Lybeck, Nancy J.
AU - Nielsen, Joseph W.
AU - Ye, Bei
AU - Mei, Zhi-Gang
AU - Keiser, Dennis D.
AU - Jamison, Laura M.
AU - Hofmann, Gerard L.
AU - Yacout, Abdellatif M.
AU - Leenaers, Ann
AU - Stepnik, Bertrand
AU - Glagolenko, Irina
N1 - Score=10
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - The European Mini-Plate Irradiation Experiment (EMPIrE) was designed to support the development and testing of a coated uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) dispersion fuel for the conversion of select high-performance research reactors (HPRRs) to utilize low-enriched uranium (LEU). To aid in the development of the coated fuel form, the EMPIrE test included several plate designs and irradiated them in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at a high meat power density (∼21 kW/cm3) and to high fuel particle fission densities (∼6.4 × 1021 fissions/cm3). These conditions mimic the bounding conditions of the BR-2 reactor in Belgium, where a concurrent irradiation experiment was performed, and exceed those previously explored in dispersion U-Mo fuel plates. A local fuel swelling analysis, as determined through high-fidelity, post-irradiation mini-plate profilometry, was used along with statistical methods to non-destructively evaluate the overall performance and separate the effects of convoluted fabrication variables. While some effects observed with this non-destructive analysis were subtle, others had more significant, and possibly competing, effects on the fuel swelling behavior. These observations will be examined further with destructive examinations to more fully assess them as the fuel design is developed and qualified.
AB - The European Mini-Plate Irradiation Experiment (EMPIrE) was designed to support the development and testing of a coated uranium-molybdenum (U-Mo) dispersion fuel for the conversion of select high-performance research reactors (HPRRs) to utilize low-enriched uranium (LEU). To aid in the development of the coated fuel form, the EMPIrE test included several plate designs and irradiated them in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at a high meat power density (∼21 kW/cm3) and to high fuel particle fission densities (∼6.4 × 1021 fissions/cm3). These conditions mimic the bounding conditions of the BR-2 reactor in Belgium, where a concurrent irradiation experiment was performed, and exceed those previously explored in dispersion U-Mo fuel plates. A local fuel swelling analysis, as determined through high-fidelity, post-irradiation mini-plate profilometry, was used along with statistical methods to non-destructively evaluate the overall performance and separate the effects of convoluted fabrication variables. While some effects observed with this non-destructive analysis were subtle, others had more significant, and possibly competing, effects on the fuel swelling behavior. These observations will be examined further with destructive examinations to more fully assess them as the fuel design is developed and qualified.
KW - U-Mo dispersion fuel
KW - Fuel swelling
KW - Non-destructive examination
KW - Post-irradiation examination
KW - Low-enriched uranium
KW - Research reactor fuel
UR - https://ecm.sckcen.be/OTCS/llisapi.dll/overview/52423358
U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153683
DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153683
M3 - Article
SN - 0022-3115
VL - 564
JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials
JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials
M1 - 153683
ER -