Fission gas bubble percolation on crystallographically consistent grain boundary networks

Abstract Fission gas release in nuclear fuels can be modeled in the framework of percolation theory, where each grain boundary is classified as open or closed to the release of the fission gas. In the present work, two-dimensional grain boundary networks were assembled both at random and in a crystallographically consistent manner resembling a general textured microstructure. In the crystallographically consistent networks, grain boundaries were classified according to its misorientation. The percolation behavior of the grain boundary networks was evaluated as a function of radial cracks and radial thermal gradients in the fuel pellet. Percolation thresholds tend to shift to the left with increasing length and number of cracks, especially in the presence of thermal gradients. In general, the topology and percolation behavior of the crystallographically consistent networks differs from those of the random network.