4/10/2009 Colloquium - Antonino Romano

Antonino Romano Accenture S.L.

Event Info

Title:  Fuel Challenges for High Performance Nuclear Systems: Research on Nuclear Fuel at High Burnup

Date: Apr 10, 2009
Location: 3105 Etcheverry Hall
Time: 4-5pm

Abstract

One of the key needs of nuclear technology is developing nuclear fuels and materials with high-performance to accommodate challenging design requirements of advanced nuclear systems or desired reengineering of current plants to increase efficiency and energy output. Materials are expected to operate at harsher irradiation conditions and under more aggressive thermal-mechanical and chemical environments where the basic physics of material performance, like formation, evolution and interactions of the key microstructures driving the macroscopic behavior and engineering design, still needs to be established. Addressing the challenges of nuclear material research requires integrated programs where synergies are developed from modeling, experiments and engineering design.

In this seminar, an example of this synergistic approach is described with emphasis on the behavior of nuclear fuel at high burnups. Specifically, the formation of the high-burnup structure in uranium dioxide is discussed and research on understanding the interplay between fission gas and porosity evolution is illustrated. Microscopic models are developed to predict how micrometer pores interact and drive gas release in the fuel. Experimental observations from EPMA analyses and annealing tests are used to help guide and validate the models. Integration of these advanced models into macroscopic fuel codes allows empowering the engineering design process for advanced nuclear systems. Examples of integration of the microscopic insight into macroscopic fuel analyses are given.