Grain boundary diffusion of Ag through polycrystalline SiC in TRISO fuel particles

The effective diffusivity and release fraction of Ag in polycrystalline SiC are evaluated using a kinetic Monte Carlo model. The effects of various grain boundary network properties on the transport of Ag across the SiC layer have been examined, including fraction of grain boundary type, spread in grain boundary diffusivities and distribution of grain boundary types. It is shown that the effective diffusivity and release fraction of Ag can exhibit a large variability due to changes in the GB structure of SiC, and this variability is almost independent of temperature fluctuation. The present results suggest that the variation in properties of grain boundary networks in SiC may contribute to the spread in the Ag diffusivity and release fraction measured in TRISO particles. It is also found that the grain boundary diffusion alone may be insufficient to account for the Ag diffusivities and release fractions measured in integral release experiments. Additional factors such as irradiation and temperature distribution may also play an important role in Ag transport across the SiC layer.