Challenges and Opportunities to Alloyed and Composite Fuel Architectures to Mitigate High Uranium Density Fuel Oxidation: Uranium Silicide

Authors

Adrian Gonzales, University of Texas at San Antonio
Jennifer K. Watkins, Boise State University
Adrian R. Wagner, Idaho National Laboratory
Brian J. Jaques, Boise State UniversityFollow
Elizabeth S. Sooby, University of Texas at San Antonio

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2021

Abstract

The challenges and opportunities to alloyed and composite fuel architectures designed and intended to mitigate oxidation of the fuel during a cladding breech of a water-cooled reactor are discussed in three review manuscripts developed in parallel, with the presented article focused on the oxidation performance of uranium silicide. Several high uranium density fuels are under consideration for deployment as accident tolerant and/or advanced technology nuclear reactor fuels, including UN, U₃Si₂, UC and UB₂. Presented here are the literature for the U₃Si₂ degradation modes, thermodynamics, and oxidation performance of the pure compound and its reported alloyed and composite architectures. Furthermore, this review covers the materials and techniques for the incorporation of additives, dopants, or composite fuel architectures to improve the oxidation/corrosion behavior for high uranium density fuels for use in LWRs.

Publication Information

Gonzales, Adrian; Watkins, Jennifer K.; Wagner, Adrian R.; Jaques, Brian J.; and Sooby, Elizabeth S. (2021). "Challenges and Opportunities to Alloyed and Composite Fuel Architectures to Mitigate High Uranium Density Fuel Oxidation: Uranium Silicide". Journal of Nuclear Materials, 553, 153026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153026