Article
Chemistry, Physical
Wenzhe Wang, Guojun Zhang, Caixia Wang, Tao Wang, Yagang Zhang, Tong Xin
Summary: By changing the bias voltage using high power impulse magnetron sputtering, Cr coatings with different columnar structures were constructed to optimize the oxidation behavior of chromium-coated Zircaloy-4 alloys under 1200 degrees C high-temperature steam for accident tolerant fuel (ATF) claddings. The microstructure, mechanical properties and high-temperature steam oxidation properties of the Cr coatings were studied systematically. The results showed that increasing the bias voltage changed the microstructure of the Cr coatings from a porous columnar structure to a compact columnar structure. The Cr coatings with optimal compact columnar structure exhibited improved hardness and elevated oxidation resistance compared to the coatings with porous columnar structure.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Egor Kashkarov, Bright Afornu, Dmitrii Sidelev, Maksim Krinitcyn, Veronica Gouws, Andrey Lider
Summary: This review highlights the latest research on protective coatings for ATF claddings based on Zr alloys, focusing on their behavior under normal and accident conditions in LWRs. Recent developments in barrier coatings and structure designs for suppressing mutual diffusion are introduced.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chongchong Tang, Martin Steinbrueck, Mirco Grosse, Sven Ulrich, Michael Stueber
Summary: Elemental Cr/C/Al multilayers were synthesized by magnetron sputtering, and the effects of annealing temperatures on their properties were studied. Nanocrystalline composite was obtained after annealing at 400 degrees C, and single-phase Cr2AlC was formed after annealing at 550 degrees C. The composite coatings annealed at 400 degrees C significantly improved high-temperature oxidation and hydrothermal corrosion resistance.
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Ligang Song, Bo Huang, Jianghua Li, Xianfeng Ma, Min Liu, Jishen Jiang, Yanying Hu
Summary: In heavy ion irradiation studies, CrN coating exhibited the best irradiation resistance due to its compact crystal structure and higher density of grain boundary, which contributed to reduce dislocations and voids. Compared to TiAlCrN coating, Cr coating showed better resistance in terms of irradiation dislocation loops.
ANNALS OF NUCLEAR ENERGY
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Jiaqi Yang, Xiaoyong Wu, Lu Wu, Yilong Zhong, Hongyang Xin, Qingsong Chen, Wei Zhang, Jian Yang, Changda Zhu, Zhien Ning, Ning Liu, Jijun Yang
Summary: The effects of Al content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance of multiprincipal element alloy (MPEA) coatings were investigated. The results showed that increasing Al content led to an increase in the quantity of BCC nanocrystals in the coatings, resulting in higher hardness and elastic modulus. Al was found to promote weight gain and oxide layer thickening during a high temperature and pressure test. All the coatings exhibited superior protection for the substrate and provided a criterion for the design of Al-containing MPEA coatings.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Mackenzie Ridley, Samuel Bell, Ben Garrison, Tim Graening, Nathan Capps, Yi-Feng Su, Peter Mouche, Brandon Johnston, Kenneth Kane
Summary: Cr-coated zirconium alloys provide a modern solution for enhancing cladding safety in accident scenarios. Two Cr-coated Zry-4 systems were tested under simulated loss-of-coolant accident conditions, with one exhibiting through-thickness cracking and the other showing no cracking. The second Cr-coating reduced ZrO2 formation, displayed enhanced burst temperatures, and behaved similarly to an effective increase in Zry-4 wall thickness of 0.464 mm, highlighting the value of continuous Cr coatings for accident scenarios.
ANNALS OF NUCLEAR ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
D. V. Sidelev, S. E. Ruchkin, M. S. Syrtanov, E. B. Kashkarov, I. A. Shelepov, A. G. Malgin, K. K. Polunin, K. V. Stoykov, A. A. Mokrushin
Summary: In this study, Cr coatings with CrN/Cr multilayers were deposited on E110 zirconium alloy by multi cathode magnetron sputtering, and their mechanical properties and oxidation resistance were evaluated. The results showed that the multilayers could only limit the interdiffusion between the coating and alloy for a short period at high temperatures.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Donghwi Lee, Barret Elward, Paul Brooks, Rajnikant Umretiya, Jessika Rojas, Matteo Bucci, Raul B. Rebak, Mark Anderson
Summary: Flow boiling heat transfer tests were conducted on conventional and accident tolerant fuel cladding materials to evaluate the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) and Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC). The results showed that the Zr4-Cr-CS coating had higher HTC due to increased void fraction and roughness, but also reduced CHF compared to bare Zr4. The study demonstrated that the surface roughness of Zr4-Cr-CS improved heat transfer performance while impacting CHF behavior.
APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Jishen Jiang, Dekui Zhan, Junnan Lv, Xianfeng Ma, Xiujie He, Dongqing Wang, Yanying Hu, Hailin Zhai, Jiajun Tu, Wenjie Zhang, Biao Wang
Summary: A comparative study was conducted on the tensile behaviors of CrN coating and Cr coating at both room temperature and 400 degrees C, showing that Cr coating exhibited brittle-toductile transition at 400 degrees C and better crack resistance.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Rajnikant V. Umretiya, Michael Worku, Hamdy Abouelella, Wanming Zhang, Raul B. Rebak, Andrew K. Hoffman, Jessika V. Rojas
Summary: Accident tolerant fuel (ATF) is being developed to improve fuel reliability and safety by modifying or replacing zirconium-based cladding materials in light water reactors. One concept explores coating the outer surface of standard Zircaloy cladding with a protective chromium coating. However, the coated materials showed significant degradation and mass loss in oxygenated environments.
NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
E. B. Kashkarov, D. V. Sidelev, N. S. Pushilina, J. Yang, C. Tang, M. Steinbrueck
Summary: In this study, Cr coatings with different structures and thicknesses were deposited on Zr alloy to investigate their oxidation behavior at different temperatures. It was found that the microstructure and thickness of the coatings significantly influenced the oxidation behavior of Cr-coated Zr alloy. The activation energy for chromium oxidation decreased significantly when the microstructure of the coating changed from dense to porous. In addition, the interdiffusion between Cr and Zr prevented the formation of chromium oxide film and caused direct oxidation of the alloy at high temperatures.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Sha Zhao, Chunhai Liu, Zhuo Li, Wei Zhang, Yang Xiang, Hengji He, Linxin He, Hongyan Yang, Ning Liu, Hong Chang, Jijun Yang
Summary: The research found that with the decrease of N-2/Ar gas pressure ratio gamma, the N content and thickness of the (AlTiCrNiTa)N coatings decreased as well. When gamma is 1/8, the coatings exhibit excellent corrosion properties and high-temperature steam oxidation resistance.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
K. A. Kane, P. I. M. Stack, P. A. Mouche, R. R. Pillai, B. A. Pint
Summary: In this study, Cr coatings were deposited on SiC and the reaction products and mass changes at high temperatures were investigated. The results show that the Cr coatings did not have a detrimental impact on the steam oxidation resistance of SiC.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Dmitrii Vladimirovich Sidelev, Sergey Evgeneyvich Ruchkin, Ivan Andreevich Shelepov, Nikolay Sergeevich Saburov, Andrey Gennadievich Malgin, Kirill Konstantinovich Polunin, Kirill Vicheslavovich Stoykov, Andrey Andreevich Mokrushin
Summary: This article described the protective properties of Cr coatings with a barrier layer composed of ZrO2/Cr multilayers deposited onto E110 zirconium alloy. The experimental results showed that coatings with more quantity of the ZrO2/Cr multilayers have higher cracking resistance, but are prone to coating spallation under thermal cycling. Moreover, at high-temperature steam oxidation conditions, the interfaces of ZrO2/Cr multilayers can accelerate Cr-Zr interdiffusion.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Linxin He, Chunhai Liu, Jinhui Lin, Qingsong Chen, Jijun Yang, Ruiqian Zhang, Hongyan Yang, Yu Wang, Jian Wang, Jianping Long, Qingshan Fu, Hong Chang
Summary: FeCrAl coatings with low Al content were deposited on Zr-4 substrates using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The coating with a bias of -150V showed excellent high-temperature steam oxidation and corrosion resistance, with detailed discussions on the oxidation and corrosion mechanisms provided.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
F. X. Zhang, G. Velisa, H. Xue, N. Sellami, C. Trautmann, Y. Zhang, W. J. Weber
Summary: The study investigated the effects of 3 MeV and 1.162 GeV Au ion irradiation on LiTaO3 crystals using single crystal X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements. Different lattice strains and structural changes were observed in the crystals irradiated with these ions, indicating responses to both inelastic ionization and elastic nuclear collisions.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
J. C. Brachet, S. Urvoy, E. Rouesne, G. Nony, M. Dumerval, M. Le Saux, F. Ott, A. Michau, F. Schuster, F. Maury
Summary: Zirconium-based claddings with an outer chromium coating resistant to corrosion are studied for Enhanced Accident Tolerant Fuel (E-ATF) in light water reactors. Inner CrxCy coatings have been developed and shown to increase resistance to oxidation at high temperatures on the inner clad surface. This study demonstrates that the inner CrxCy coating significantly reduces oxidation and secondary hydriding of the clad inner surface after ballooning and burst, showing potential for improved performance in accident scenarios.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
G. Velisa, E. Zarkadoula, D. Iancu, M. D. Mihai, C. Grygiel, I Monnet, B. Kombaiah, Y. Zhang, W. J. Weber
Summary: The combination of low-energy ion-induced disordering and ionizing ion irradiation shows promise for tailoring ion tracks in the near-surface of defective KTaO3. The size of latent ion tracks increases with electronic energy loss and pre-existing damage level. Highly ionizing ions can either enhance or suppress damage accumulation in KTaO3 depending on the electronic energy loss and the amount of pre-existing damage.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Duc Vinh Nguyen, Matthieu Le Saux, Lionel Gelebart, Jean-Christophe Brachet, Jean-Philippe Bonthonneau, Arnaud Courcelle, Raphaelle Guillou, Elodie Rouesne, Stephane Urvoy
Summary: The mechanical behavior of a 15 μm-thick chromium coating deposited on a zirconium alloy substrate was studied, showing that the first channeling cracks in the coating initiate at 0.3-0.4% macroscopic strain. The crack density increased rapidly then more slowly, before reaching saturation. Plastic strain of the non-cracked coating regions was observed, in addition to the increase of crack opening.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chenyang Lu, Mingyang Li, Pengyuan Xiu, Xing Wang, Gihan Velisa, Li Jiang, Karren L. More, Jonathan D. Poplawsky, Yongqin Chang, Yanwen Zhang, Lumin Wang
Summary: This study investigates the irradiation behavior of nanostructured NiCoCr medium entropy alloy enhanced by Y-Hf-O nanooxides and fine grains produced by powder metallurgy. It was found that the alloy showed no void swelling or irradiation-induced hardening under ion beam irradiation, thanks to the dispersed nanooxides and high density of grain boundaries acting as defect sinks. The high-density nanooxides also maintained their crystalline structures and stabilized the grain boundaries during irradiation.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
G. Velisa, R. F. Andrei, I Burducea, A. Enciu, D. Iancu, D. A. Mirea, A. Spiridon, M. Straticiuc
Summary: The IFIN-HH institute in Romania operates a 3MV Tandetron (TM) accelerator, serving as a key facility for both basic research and applications in Romania. The laboratory provides a suitable environment for training young scientists and undergraduates, allowing them to develop marketable skills through accelerator-based research.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Manufacturing
Timothee Delacroix, Fernando Lomello, Frederic Schuster, Hicham Maskrot, Jean-Paul Garandet
Summary: In this study, the powder degradation and its effects on printed parts during the Laser Powder Bed Fusion process were investigated by reusing gas-atomized 316L stainless steel powder up to 15 times. The recycled powder exhibited larger particle size and improved flowability, and showed an increase in oxygen content along with the presence of colored and oxidized particles, as well as magnetic particles. The density of the printed parts slightly decreased with powder reuse while the microstructure featured more numerous and finer grains. However, no significant difference was found on the microhardness and tensile properties of the printed components.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yufan Zhou, Gihan Velisa, Saro San, Miguel L. Crespillo, Zhe Fan, Hongbin Bei, William J. Weber, Pengyuan Xiu, Lumin Wang, Filip Tuomisto, Wai-Yim Ching, Yanwen Zhang
Summary: Understanding the defect production and damage evolution in concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs) is crucial for revealing the underlying mechanisms behind their extraordinary mechanical properties and improved radiation tolerance. In this study, the defect structure in NiFeCoCr under ion irradiation was investigated using ion channeling technique and compared with previous results on Ni crystals. The influence of chemical complexity on defect production and clustering was discussed, and the role of chemical disorder in the CSA was investigated using ab initio calculations. The results provide insights into the impact of chemical complexity on defect structure evolution in CSAs.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cristina C. Gheorghiu, Aurelia Ionescu, Maria-Iulia Zai, Decebal Iancu, Ion Burducea, Gihan Velisa, Bogdan S. Vasile, Adelina C. Ianculescu, Mariana Bobeica, Daniel Popa, Victor Leca
Summary: In this study, (110) preferred orientation nanocrystalline Fe thin films were grown on (100)-oriented Si substrates using oblique angle RF magnetron sputtering. The evolution of key parameters of the films, such as nanostructure, morphology, topography, and elemental composition, was discussed thoroughly. The results show that the growth process and morphology of the Fe thin film are strongly influenced by deposition pressure.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
D. Iancu, E. Zarkadoula, M. D. Mihai, C. Burducea, I Burducea, M. Straticiuc, Y. Zhang, W. J. Weber, G. Velisa
Summary: This study investigates the interactions between ions and defective KTaO3 by irradiating pre-damaged single crystal KTaO3 with different ions. The results show that a synergistic interaction between the ions and defects can create amorphous ion tracks when the inelastic electronic energy loss exceeds a certain threshold. Additionally, a transition from irradiation-induced disorder production to ionization-induced damage recovery processes is observed with further increase in ion fluence.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
G. Velisa, F. Granberg, E. Levo, Y. Zhou, Z. Fan, H. Bei, F. Tuomisto, K. Nordlund, F. Djurabekova, W. J. Weber, Y. Zhang
Summary: Systematic temperature-effects investigations on damage evolution in ion-irradiated Ni-based concentrated solid-solution alloys are crucial for ensuring their reliability in nuclear applications. By comparing experimental and theoretical data on equiatomic NiFe, NiCoCr, and NiCoFeCr alloys, as well as new ion channeling results on ion-irradiated NiCoFeCr at 500 K, we suggest that the lower migration energy of vacancies in NiCoCr is the reason why it is no longer outperforming NiFe under ion irradiation above 300 K, as supported by independent theoretical calculations and TEM results from the literature.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Caixia Wang, Ruixing Sheng, Dawei Zhou, Weidong Li, Shuying Chen, Fanchao Meng, Gihan Velisa, Daiyi Chao, Liang Jiang, Peter K. Liaw, Yang Tong
Summary: This study reports on the development of a newly developed medium-entropy alloy with excellent strength and ductility at cryogenic temperatures. Compared to traditional alloys, the new alloy shows significant improvements in mechanical properties and exhibits multiple deformation mechanisms.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY-JMR&T
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Matthieu Le Saux, Jean-Baptiste Le Bail, Justin Becker, Celia Caer, Pierre Charrier, Vincent Le Saux, Laurent Maheo, Yann Marco
Summary: This study presents protocols for quantitatively characterizing the cellular microstructure of microcellular polyurethane foams using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray micro-computed tomography data. It provides detailed analysis steps, automatic cell detection method, and statistical description of cell fraction, size, shape, and spatial distribution.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PLASTICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
M. D. Mihai, D. Iancu, E. Zarkadoula, R. A. Florin, Y. Tong, Y. Zhang, W. J. Weber, G. Velisa
Summary: Systematic investigations of electronic energy loss effects on pre-existing defects in crystalline silicon are crucial to ensure the reliability of ionizing irradiation for annealing pre-existing defects, which is important for the fabrication of Si-based devices.
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
Beatriz Puga, Fernando Lomello, Emeline Boussac, Aziz Chniouel, Alexis Fouchereau, Pierre Laghoutaris, Hicham Maskrot
Summary: This study reported the influence of process parameters on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of additively manufactured 316L stainless steel. The corrosion tests showed that the hatching distance had a greater impact on the corrosion behavior. The corrosion preferentially occurred at cellular structures and at grain boundaries and melt pools when the scanning strategy and hatching distance were modified.
METALLURGICAL RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Liuming Wei, Jingwen Li, Yonggang Li, Qirong Zheng, Fan Cheng, Chuanguo Zhang, Jingyu Li, Gaofeng Zhao, Zhi Zeng
Summary: This study investigates the influence of He-V complexes on H behaviors on different W surfaces using DFT calculations. The results show that H dissolution is most difficult but H trapping is easiest on the W (110) surface, while the opposite is true on the W (111) surface. Moreover, the presence of He-V complexes increases the difficulty of H diffusion from bulk to surface and desorption.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yan Meng, Song Zeng, Chen Chen, Chaowen Zhu, Huahai Shen, Xiaosong Zhou, Xiaochun Han
Summary: The characteristics of magnetron sputtered Cr coatings vary with different temperature, bias voltage, and pressure. Coatings with random orientation, good crystallinity, and small grain size exhibit favorable oxidation behavior, while coatings with strong (200) texture, poor crystallinity, and large grains have many intrinsic defects that are detrimental to the protection property of the Cr coatings.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xinyuan Xu, Zefeng Yu, Wei-Ying Chen, Aiping Chen, Arthur Motta, Xing Wang
Summary: This study presents an automated approach for characterizing grain morphology in TEM images recorded during ion irradiation. By combining a machine learning model and a computer vision algorithm, comparable results to human analysis can be achieved with significantly reduced analysis time. Researchers can train their own models following the procedures described in this study to automate grain morphology analysis of their own TEM images.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Shihao Wu, Dong Wang, Yapei Zhang, Koji Okamoto, Marco Pellegrini, Wenxi Tian, Suizheng Qiu, G. H. Su
Summary: The oxidation and degradation mechanisms of Cr coating on Zr alloy cladding under high temperature steam atmosphere are summarized, and a mathematical analysis model is established to predict the changes in coating thickness. The model is applied in the analysis of structure evolution under different conditions.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. Diaz-Mena, J. de Prado, M. Roldan, I. Izaguirre, M. Sanchez, M. Rieth, A. Urena
Summary: The brazeability of a cupronickel alloy was evaluated as a filler alloy for high-temperature joining of tungsten to steel. The study investigated the brazing conditions and the impact of the selected filler on the joint quality using numerical software. The results showed different metallurgical interactions and diffusion phenomena between the filler alloy and the base materials at different temperatures. The study emphasized the importance of selecting a suitable filler to mitigate residual stresses in the joints.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Pengcheng Zhu, Yajie Zhao, Yan-Ru Lin, Jean Henry, Steven J. Zinkle
Summary: This study investigates the effect of heavy-ion irradiation on radiation hardening in high-purity binary alloy Fe18Cr. Nanoindentation testing and high-quality TEM imaging were conducted to extract hardness and microstructure information. The strength factor was accurately calculated based on the detailed TEM characterization of irradiated microstructures, and a refined hardening superposition method was applied to quantify the mechanical properties of ion-irradiated materials.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bin Wu, Haixia Ning, Hanzhen Zhu, Jianjun Chen, Kang Wang, Daiyu Zhang, Fu Wang, Qilong Liao
Summary: This study discusses the effects of ZrO2 and B2O3 on the phase composition and properties of SAP-based glass-ceramics. The results show that ZrO2 addition improves the formation of NZP phase while restricting the crystallization of AlPO4 phases. The correct ratios of ZrO2 and B2O3 allow only the formation of NZP phase within the SAP glass.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hwasung Yeom, Greg Johnson, Benjamin Maier, Tyler Dabney, Kumar Sridharan
Summary: Cr-Nb bilayer coatings were developed using cold spray deposition to improve the limiting operational temperature of Cr-coated Zr-alloy system. The coatings exhibited outstanding oxidation resistance at high temperatures and formed continuous intermetallic compound layers at the interfaces.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Padhraic L. Mulligan, Andrew T. Nelson, Chad M. Parish, Patrick A. Champlin, Xiang Chen, Daniel Morrall, Jason M. Harp
Summary: Environmental barrier coatings are being developed to reduce oxidation and embrittlement in Zr-based materials. Chromium nitride is a candidate for this application, but understanding its impact on irradiation-induced creep and microstructure is critical.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Dexuan Yan, Xinlei Cao, Ke Shen
Summary: This study investigated the purification mechanism of polycrystalline graphite by comparing IG-11 graphite with IG-110 nuclear grade graphite. The analysis revealed that metallic impurities in IG-11 were primarily segregated within graphite porosities, while IG-110 demonstrated a significant reduction in impurities. This research contributes to the development of innovative graphite purification techniques for greater purity and stronger oxidation resistance.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei Xu, Wei Peng, Lei Shi, Qi Sun
Summary: This paper investigates the oxidation and shape evolution of matrix graphite in high temperature gas-cooled reactors during air-ingress accidents. A reaction kinetics model is established and computational fluid dynamics with a dynamic mesh method is used to simulate the oxidation process. The results show that the geometric shape of graphite changes significantly with increasing flow rate, and the graphite pebbles tend to form a structure with a narrow front and wide tail.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Allison Harward, Casey Elliott, Michael Shaltry, Krista Carlson, Tae-Sic Yoo, Guy Fredrickson, Michael Patterson, Michael F. Simpson
Summary: This paper investigates the hygroscopic properties of eutectic LiCl-KCl absorbed into zeolite-4A. The study finds that water absorption and corrosion worsen with increasing salt loading. It also suggests that the salt can be stored in a non-inert atmosphere for a certain period of time.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Takaaki Koyanagi, Xunxiang Hu, Christian M. Petrie, Gyanender Singh, Caen Ang, Christian P. Deck, Weon-Ju Kim, Daejong Kim, James Braun, Yutai Katoh
Summary: This study provides critical experimental data on the effects of irradiation on the hermeticity of SiC composite cladding, finding that irradiation can cause a decrease in hermeticity and cracking, and coating the outer surface can mitigate the cracking issue.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
S. Krat, A. Prishvitsyn, Yu. Gasparyan
Summary: This study proposes a probabilistic and diffusion-based model to describe the co-deposition of multiple hydrogen isotopes with slowly grown metal layers. The model calculates the relative concentrations of different hydrogen isotopes in the co-deposited metal layers. It is found that if hydrogen isotopes have different detrapping energies, only the isotope with the highest detrapping energy shows a monotonic decrease in concentration with deposition temperature. Furthermore, the study evaluates the uncertainty of tritium concentration in the co-deposited layer based on the uncertainty in detrapping energy of tritium and deuterium, predicting a >10% tritium concentration uncertainty for a 0.01 eV difference.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tijo Vazhappilly, Arup Kumar Pathak
Summary: This study investigates the effect of Ce atom substitution in UO2 on its thermophysical properties using density functional theory. The results show that the Ce substitution levels and the oxidation state of Ce/U atoms strongly influence the band structure and specific heat capacity of the UO2 lattice. These findings provide important insights into the fuel properties of UO2 under reactor conditions.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2024)
