Post-irradiation examination of low burnup U3Si5 and UN-U3Si5 composite fuels
Source abstract
Abstract
This work presents post-irradiation examination data on UN-U 3Si 5 and U 3Si 5 fuels at low burnup (i.e., <10–15 GWd/tHM) with Kanthal AF® cladding. The results suggest good irradiation performance for both the silicide and nitride-silicide composite pellets. Optical microscopy revealed that the pellet-cladding gap is still open, and limited axial cracking was observed only in UN-U 3Si 5 pellets. Microcracking was isolated to the U 3Si 5 phase in all cases and was observed in pre-irradiation and depleted pellets, indicating that it was not irradiation induced. The fission gas release was minimal for the calculated fission density achieved (2.6 – 3.15 × 10 20 fiss/cm 3 ). No fission gas bubbles were observed in the optical metallography. These results suggest acceptable swelling and fission gas behavior for both the single phase and composite compositions.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Nuclear Materials and Properties · Nuclear reactor physics and engineering · Nuclear materials and radiation effects
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