High-Fidelity Modeling of Fuel-To-Coolant Thermomechanical Transport Behaviors Under Transient Conditions
This report summarizes the work completed under NEUP project number 21-24006. The objectives of this project are to advance the high-fidelity modeling capabilities and important phenomena that is important for high-burnup UO2 and accident tolerant fuels (ATF) during transient conditions. Accurate modeling of the time-dependent phenomena that impact material performance must be used to determine […]
Development of a Model for Irradiation-Induced Grain Growth in UO2 thin films
In this work, we develop a model of irradiation-induced grain growth in UO2 using the MARMOT mesoscale nuclear materials simulation tool. We couple the existing thermally activated grain growth model with a heat conduction model that includes random heat sources representing thermal spikes. We compare the results with the irradiation data on UO2 thin films.
Benchmarking the Current Capability of BISON to Model Constituent Redistribution and Swelling in U-Zr Annular Fuels Without a Sodium Bond
Abstract
An electrochemical mesoscale tool for modeling the corrosion of structural alloys by molten salt
Understanding the impact of microstructure on corrosion rates can aid the development of corrosion-resistant alloys for molten salt reactors. In this work, we develop an electrochemical phase-field model for capturing the microstructure-dependent corrosion of structural alloys by molten salts. As a demonstration problem, we apply this model to capture the selective depletion of Cr from […]
Comparing the Impact of Thermal Stresses and Bubble Pressure on Intergranular Fracture in UO2 Using 2D Phase Field Fracture Simulations
UO2 fuel fragmentation and pulverization during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) is an ongoing safety concern that has gained importance due to recent interest in increasing burnup limits for light water reactor fuel. In this work, we investigate the importance of bubble pressure on fragmentation using 2D phase field fracture simulations of UO2 polycrystals. The model includes […]
Investigation of zirconium hydride morphology in a single crystal using quantitative phase field simulations supported by experiments
In light water nuclear reactors, waterside corrosion of the cladding material leads to the production of hydrogen, a fraction of which is picked up by the zirconium cladding and precipitates into brittle hydride particles. These nanoscale hydride particles aggregate into mesoscale hydride clusters. The principal stacking direction of the nanoscale hydrides precipitated in the cladding […]
Thermal Energy Transport in Oxide Nuclear Fuel
To efficiently capture the energy of the nuclear bond, advanced nuclear reactor concepts seek solid fuels that must withstand unprecedented temperature and radiation extremes. In these advanced fuels, thermal energy transport under irradiation is directly related to reactor performance as well as reactor safety. The science of thermal transport in nuclear fuel is a grand […]