A Study of the Effect of Fabrication Variables on the Void Content and Quality of Fuel Plates
A Study of the Effect of Fabrication Variables on the Void Content and Quality of Fuel Plates

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Published: 1986

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The control of void content and quality of dispersion type fuel plates fabricated for research and test reactors are issues of concern to plate fabricators. These two variables were studied by examining the data for various geometries of fuel plates fabricated at ANL. It was found that the porosity of a fuel plate can be increased by: (1) decreasing the fuel particle size, (2) increasing the fuel particle surface roughness, (3) increasing the matrix strength, (4) decreasing the rolling temperature, (5) decreasing the final fuel zone thickness, and (6) increasing the volume percentage of the fuel. Porosity formation is controlled by bulk movement and deformation and/or fracture of particles. The most important factor is the flow stress of the matrix material. Lowering the flow stress will decrease the plate porosity. The percentage of plates with fuel-out-of-zone is a function of the fuel material and the loading. The highest percentage of plates with fuel-out-of-zone were those with U3Si2 which is at this time the most commonly used silicide fuel.

The Effect of Fabrication Variables on the Structure and Properties of UO$sub 2$-STAINLESS Steel Dispersion Fuel Plates
The Effect of Fabrication Variables on the Structure and Properties of UO$sub 2$-STAINLESS Steel Dispersion Fuel Plates

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Published: 1959

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Based on the results of detailed fabrication studies, an evaluation of the effects of varying the type and size of UO/sub 2/ particles, the type and size of stainless steel matrix powders, blending procedures, compacting pressures, sintering times, temperatures, and atmospheres, roll-clading temperatures and reduction rates, total cold reduction, and heat-treating times and temperatures was made for UO/sub 2/stainless steel dispersion fuel elements. Transverse tensile tests, creep-rupture tests, metallographic examination, radiography, density measurements, and x-raydiffraction studies were used to evaluate the structure and properties of the fuel elements. From these studies a reference fabrication procedure for GCRE fuel elements was established. The fuel element core contains minus 100 plus 200-mesh hydrothermal UO/sub 2/ dispersed in an 18-14-2.5 alloy matrix prepared from minus 325-mesh elemental iron, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum powders. Commercial Type 318 stainless steel is used for cladding. Core compacts are sintered in steps to 2300 deg F after cold compacting at 15 tsi. Evacuated picture-frame packs are hot rolled from a hydrogen muffle at 2200 deg F with a 40% reduction in thickness on the first pass and a 20% reduction in thickness on remaining passes. After annealing at 2300 deg F, the fuel elements are given a light pickle and cold reduced 15 to 20% in thickness to give a total reduction of 8 to 1. The final treatment consists of a flat anneal at 2050 deg F. (auth).

Government Reports Annual Index
Government Reports Annual Index

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Published: 1988

Total Pages: 1058

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Sections 1-2. Keyword Index.--Section 3. Personal author index.--Section 4. Corporate author index.-- Section 5. Contract/grant number index, NTIS order/report number index 1-E.--Section 6. NTIS order/report number index F-Z.

SEM and TEM Characterization of As-Fabricated U-7Mo Disperson Fuel Plates
SEM and TEM Characterization of As-Fabricated U-7Mo Disperson Fuel Plates

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Published: 2009

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The starting microstructure of a dispersion fuel plate can have a dramatic impact on the overall performance of the plate during irradiation. To improve the understanding of the as-fabricated microstructures of dispersion fuel plates, SEM and TEM analysis have been performed on RERTR-9A archive fuel plates, which went through an additional hot isostatic procsssing (HIP) step during fabrication. The fuel plates had depleted U-7Mo fuel particles dispersed in either Al-2Si or 4043 Al alloy matrix. For the characterized samples, it was observed that a large fraction of the?-phase U-7Mo alloy particles had decomposed during fabrication, and in areas near the fuel/matrix interface where the transformation products were present significant fuel/matrix interaction had occurred. Relatively thin Si-rich interaction layers were also observed around the U-7Mo particles. In the thick interaction layers, (U)(Al, Si)3 and U6Mo4Al43 were identified, and in the thin interaction layers U(Al, Si)3, U3Si3Al2, U3Si5, and USi1.88-type phases were observed. The U3Si3Al2 phase contained some Mo. Based on the results of this work, exposure of dispersion fuel plates to relatively high temperatures during fabrication impacts the overall microstructure, particularly the nature of the interaction layers around the fuel particles. The time and temperature of fabrication should be carefully controlled in order to produce the most uniform Si-rich layers around the U-7Mo particles.