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

Authors

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

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 mononitride. Several high uranium density fuels are under consideration for deployment as accident tolerant and/or advanced technology nuclear reactor fuels, including one on each: UN, U₃Si₂, UC and UB₂. Presented here is the research motivation for the incorporation of additives, dopants, or composite fuel architectures to improve the oxidation/corrosion behavior of high uranium density nuclear fuels for use in LWRs. Furthermore, this review covers the literature on the degradation modes, thermodynamics, and oxidation performance of pure UN and UN-compounds as well as reported alloyed and composite architectures.

Publication Information

Watkins, Jennifer K.; Gonzales, Adrian; Wagner, Adrian R.; Sooby, Elizabeth S.; and Jaques, Brian J. (2021). "Challenges and Opportunities to Alloyed and Composite Fuel Architectures to Mitigate High Uranium Density Fuel Oxidation: Uranium Mononitride". Journal of Nuclear Materials, 553, 153048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.153048