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Published on: December 14, 2017
Influence of Fission Product Distribution in Medium-Burnup UO2 Fuel on Cracking Behavior
Dongsheng Xie1,2, Chuanbao Tang2, Tong Fu1,2
1The First Sub-Institute, Nuclear Power Institute of China, Chengdu 610213, China.
Abstract:
This investigation employs focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to systematically analyze the distribution characteristics of fission products in medium-burnup (40.6 GWd/tU) UO2 fuel and their impact on fuel cracking behavior. The findings indicate that grain boundary embrittlement is predominantly attributed to the accumulation of spherical particles of solid fission products, including Mo, Ru, Rh, and Pd, which preferentially segregate around impurity particles, leading to localized stress concentration. Intragranular cracks are associated with the strip-like segregation of fission elements and the amorphization process. It also reveals that the size and number density of intragranular Xe bubbles are ~6.24 ± 0.24 nm and 5.2 × 1022 m-3, respectively, while Xe did not, under the analyzed conditions, significantly influence crack nucleation. This research elucidates the correlation mechanism between fission product distribution and fuel cracking behavior at medium burn up, offering experimental evidence to enhance the reliability and safety of nuclear fuel assemblies.
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