Basic aspects of swelling in dense livuid metal fast breeder reactor fuels

Abstract The basic aspects of swelling in dense livuid metal fast breeder reactor fuels, alloys, carbides and nitrides, are analysed as functions of burn-up by use of a common reduced temperature scale. In addition to temperature and burn-up, swelling depends on stress and the composition and as-fabricated structure of the fuel. Therefore the technological boundary conditions, as defined by pin design and operation parameters, have to be respected in order to limit the analysis. This leads to the concepts of “hot” fuels, “cool” fuels as well as free swelling and swelling under restraint. With increasing burn-up the in-pile kinetics responsible for swelling are affected by the ingrowth of fission damage and the increasing concentration of fission products. The resulting phenomena are not yet well understood and represent a field of present and future research.

[1]  G. W. Greenwood,et al.  The role of vacancies and dislocations in the nucleation and growth of gas bubbles in irradiated fissile material , 1959 .

[2]  A. R. Wazzan,et al.  Computer modeling of steady state fission gas behavior in carbide fuels , 1978 .

[3]  B. R. Seidel,et al.  Performance of metallic fuels and blankets in liquid-metal fast breeder reactors , 1984 .

[4]  C. Angerman,et al.  Swelling of uranium by mechanical cavitation , 1964 .

[5]  D. Olander.  Advanced LMFBR Fuels , 1978 .

[6]  L. C. Walters,et al.  Development and Performance of Metal Fuel Elements for Fast Breeder Reactors , 1979 .

[7]  J. Lehmann,et al.  Gonflement d'alliages d'uranium sous irradiation , 1968 .

[8]  M. Ashby,et al.  Pressure sintering by power law creep , 1975 .

[9]  Donald R. Olander,et al.  Fundamental Aspects of Nuclear Reactor Fuel Elements , 1976 .

[10]  Hj. Matzke,et al.  Science of advanced LMFBR fuels , 1986 .

[11]  C. Ronchi,et al.  Swelling analysis of highly-rated MX-type LMFBR fuels: II. Microsopic swelling behaviour , 1978 .

[12]  C. Ronchi,et al.  Swelling analysis of highly rated MX-type LMFBR fuels. I. Restructuring and porosity behaviour , 1975 .

[13]  B. Hudson,et al.  A model for swelling resistance in α-uranium imparted by an array of precipitates , 1974 .

[14]  M. Coquerelle,et al.  The Sodium-Bonding Pin Concept for Advanced Fuels Part I: Swelling of Carbide Fuel up to 12% Burnup , 1983 .

[15]  J. Lehmann,et al.  Etude du gonflement d'alliages d'uranium sous irradiation , 1968 .

[16]  Robert E. Einziger,et al.  Irradiation performance of metallic driver fuel in Experimental Breeder Reactor II to high burnup , 1980 .

[17]  B. Eyre,et al.  The formation and behaviour of gas bubbles in a non-uniform temperature environment , 1968 .

[18]  W. Dienst,et al.  A measurement of the irradiation-induced creep of mixed carbide nuclear fuel , 1980 .

[19]  J. W. Harrison.  A note on the application of homogeneous nucleation theory to bubble nucleation in uranium metal , 1969 .

[20]  J. W. Harrison.  The growth of gas bubbles in a stressed medium and the application to stress enhanced swelling in alpha uranium , 1967 .

[21]  B. Hudson.  The distribution of and swelling produced by fission gas bubbles in α and β uranium irradiated under low stress , 1967 .

[22]  W. Dienst.  Swelling, densification and creep of (U, Pu)C fuel under irradiation , 1984 .

[23]  P. Blanchard.  Role important joue dans le gonflement de l'uranium par les produits de fission de rayon atomique eleve cesium, strontium, baryum, cerium et neodyme , 1968 .

[24]  J. W. Harrison.  The irradiation-induced swelling of uranium carbide , 1969 .

[25]  H. Blank,et al.  Microstructure and fission gas bubbles in irradiated mixed carbide fuels at 2 to 11 a/o burnup , 1984 .

[26]  C. Ronchi.  Physical processes and mechanisms related to fission gas swelling in MX-type nuclear fuels , 1979 .

[27]  J. Brinkman.  On the Nature of Radiation Damage in Metals , 1954 .

[28]  R. Coble.  Diffusion Models for Hot Pressing with Surface Energy and Pressure Effects as Driving Forces , 1970 .

[29]  B. Hudson.  The post-irradiation annealing behaviour of fission gas bubbles in various purities of uranium , 1968 .