Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7963182 | Journal of Nuclear Materials | 2018 | 14 Pages |
Abstract
Metallic fuel relocation experiments were conducted in which molten uranium was dropped into the cladding of a single fuel pin where eutectic interaction between fuel and cladding led to the release of eutectic fuel mixture into a narrow sodium channel. The thermal hydraulic relocation behavior of the molten uranium was analyzed in a previous study. Here, the extent of the eutectic formation was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). The SEM/EDS analysis confirmed that cladding failure was caused by eutectic penetration. The eutectic penetration initiated around the boundary between cladding and uranium fuel, progressed into the cladding, and caused the cladding failure. Near the cladding failure region, the original cladding shape was unrecognizable, and many cracks, breakthroughs, and partial losses of the cladding were observed. The main components of the cladding failure region were UFe2 and U6Fe, which are the key components in the eutectic penetration.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Energy
Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Authors
Taeil Kim, Jeffrey Fortner, Dzmitry Harbaruk, Craig Gerardi, Mitchell Farmer, Yoon Il Chang,