Results of High-Temperature Heating Test for Irradiated U-10Zr(-5Ce) with T92 Cladding Fuel

Abstract

A microstructure observation using an optical microscope, SEM and EPMA was performed for the irradiated U-10Zr and U-10Zr-5Ce fuel slugs with a T92 cladding specimen after a high-temperature heating test. Also, the measured eutectic penetration rate was compared with the value predicted by the existing eutectic penetration correlation being used for design and modeling purposes. The heating temperature and duration time for the U-10Zr/T92 specimen were 750 °C and 1 h, and those for the U-10Zr-5Ce/T92 specimen were 800 °C and 1 h. In the case of the U-10Zr/T92 specimen, the migration phenomena of U, Zr, Fe, and Cr as well as the Nd lanthanide fission product were observed at the eutectic melting region. The measured penetration rate was similar to the value predicted by the existing eutectic penetration rate correlation. In addition, when comparing with measured eutectic penetration rates for the unirradiated U-10Zr fuel slug with FMS (ferritic martensitic steel, HT9 or Gr.91) cladding specimens which had been reported in the literature, the measured eutectic penetration rate for the irradiated fuel specimen was higher than that for the unirradiated U-10Zr specimen. In the case of the U-10Zr-5Ce/T92 specimen in which there had been a gap between the fuel slug and cladding after the irradiation test, the eutectic melting region was not found because contact between the fuel slug and cladding did not take place during the heating test.

Keywords

• sodium-cooled fast reactor
• metallic fuel
• eutectic melting
• lanthanide fission product