Influence of Carbon Content on Element Diffusion in Silicon Carbide-Based TRISO Composite Fuel

The coating layers of Tri-structural Isotropic Particles(TRISO)serve to protect the kernel and act as barriers to fission products.Sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix variably react with TRISO coating layers,leading to the destruction of the coating layers.Investigating how carbon content affects element diffusion in silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuel is of great significance for predicting reactor safety.In this study,silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels with different carbon contents were prepared by adding varying amounts of phenolic resin to the silicon carbide matrix.X-ray Diffraction(XRD)and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)were employed to characterize the phase composition,morphology,and microstructure of the composite fuels.The elemental content in each coating layer of TRISO was quantified using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS).The results demonstrated that the addition of phenolic resin promoted the uniform distribution of sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix.The atomic percentage(at.%)of aluminum(Al)in the pyrolytic carbon layer of the TRISO particles reached its lowest value of 0.55%when the phenolic resin addition was 1%.This is because the addition of phenolic resin caused the Al and silicon(Si)in the matrix to preferentially react with the carbon in the phenolic resin to form a metastable liquid phase,rather than preferentially consuming the pyrolytic carbon in the outer coating layer of the TRISO particles.The findings suggest that carbon addition through phenolic resin incorporation can effectively mitigate the deleterious reactions between the TRISO coating layers and sintering aids,thereby enhancing the durability and safety of silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels.

UO2-BeO Composite Fuel Thermal Property and Performance Modeling

An enhanced thermal conductivity UO2-BeO composite nuclear fuel was studied. A methodology to generate ANSYS （an engineering simulation software） FEM （finite element method） thermal models of enhanced thermal conductivity oxide nuclear fuels was developed. The results showed significant increase in the fuel thermal conductivities and have good agreement with the measured ones. Thus BeO is one of the promising candidates for fabricating two-phase high thermal conductivity ceramic nuclear fuels with UO2. The reactor performance analysis showed that the decrease in centerline temperature was 250-350 K depending on different fabrication methods for the UO2-BeO composite fuel, and thus we can improve nuclear reactors＇ performance and safety, and high-level radioactive waste generation for the existing and next generation nuclear reactors.

Proton irradiation-induced cracking and microstructural defects in UN and (U,Zr)N composite fuels

Proton irradiation with a primary ion energy of 2 MeV was used to simulate radiation damage in UN and(U,Zr)N fuel pellets.The pellets,nominally at room temperature,were irradiated to peak levels of 0.1,1,10 dpa and 100.0 dpa resulting in a peak hydrogen concentration of at most 90 at.%.Microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples were investigated and compared before and after irradiation.The irradiation induced an increase in hardness,whereas a decrease in Young’s modulus was observed for both samples.Microstructural characterization revealed irradiation-induced cracking,initiated in the bulk of the material,where the peak damage was deposited,propagating towards the surface.Additionally,transmission electron microscopy was used to study irradiation defects.Dislocation loops and fringes were identified and observed to increase in density with increasing dose levels.The high density of irradiation defects and hydrogen implanted are proposed as the main cause of swelling and consequent sample cracking,leading simultaneously to increased hardening and a decrease in Young's modulus.

Modeling of Mesoscale Creep Behaviors and Macroscale Creep Responses of Composite Fuels Under Irradiation Conditions

A finite-strain homogenization creep model for composite fuels under irradiation conditions is developed and verified,with the irradiation creep strains of the fuel particles and matrix correlated to the macroscale creep responses,excluding the contributions of volumetric strain induced by the irradiation swelling deformations of fuel particles.A finite element(FE)modeling method for uniaxial tensile creep tests is established with the irradiation effects of nuclear materials taken into account.The proposed models and simulation strategy are numerically implemented to a kind of composite nuclear fuel,and the predicted mesoscale creep behaviors and the macroscale creep responses are investigated.The research results indicate that:(1)the macroscale creep responses and the mesoscale stress and strain fields are all greatly affected by the irradiation swelling of fuel particles,owing to the strengthened mechanical interactions between the fuel particles and the matrix.(2)The effective creep rates for a certain case are approximately two constants before and after the critical fission density,which results from the accelerated fission gas swelling after fuel grain recrystallization,and the effects of macroscale tensile stress will be more enhanced at higher temperatures.(3)The macroscale creep contributions from the fuel particles and matrix depend mainly on the current volume fractions varying with fission density.(4)As a function of the macroscale stress,temperature,initial particle volume fraction and particle fission rate,a multi-variable mathematical model for effective creep rates is fitted out for the considered composite fuels,which matches well with the FE predictions.This study supplies important theoretical models and research methods for the multi-scale creep behaviors of various composite fuels and provides a basis for simulation of the thermal–mechanical behavior in related composite fuel elements and assemblies.

Hydrolysis Lignin as a Sorbent and Basis for Solid Composite Biofuel

New powdered sorbent Lignosorb based on the hydrophobized hydrolysis lignin has been developed at the Belarusian State University. Hydrolysis lignin is a commercial waste product of biomass processing in the hydrolysis production of ethanol. In spite of the various proposals for hydrolysis lignin usage, the wide application has not found yet. Special area of hydrophobized hydrolysis lignin usage as a sorbent for oil spills removal and oil products waste recovery is discussed. Lignosorb, thanks to the rather high bulk density, can be applied manually or mechanically by conventional sprayers. It does not sink after oil adsorption and transforms liquid oil film on the water surface into the solid mass. The solid product is a complete mass and is easily collected from the surface of water. Lignosorb when blended with oil products waste in the volume forms the granular free-running product. The rheological properties of the Lignosorb suspensions in oil products at different sorbent to oil product ratio have been estimated. Saturated by different oil products Lignosorb one can granulate or pellet and utilize as a composite solid fuel including the co-firing regime of combustion. It has the higher heating value of 32.1 - 38.8 MJ/kg while the coal has 20.9 - 30.1 MJ/kg. It has been shown that composite fuel burning has less longstanding inflammation stage, more long stable burning stage and less longstanding phase of smoldering in the comparison to wood and Lignosorb burning.

Efficient Thickness of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Composite Electrode

The efficient thickness of a composite electrode for solid oxide fuel cells was directly calculated by developing a physical model taking into account of the charge transfer process, the oxygen ion and electron transportation, and the microstructure characteristics of the electrode. The efficient thickness, which is defined as the electrode thickness corresponding to the minimum electrode polarization resistance, is formulated as a function of charge transfer resistivity, effective resistivity to ion and electron transport, and three-phase boundary length per unit volume. The model prediction is compared with the experimental reports to check the validity. Simulation is performed to show the effect of microstructure, intrinsic material properties, and electrode reaction mechanism on the efficient thickness. The results suggest that when an electrode is fabricated, its thickness should be controlled regarding its composition, particle size of its components, the intrinsic ionic and electronic conductivities,and its reaction mechanisms as well as the expected operation temperatures. The sensitivity of electrode polarization resistance to its thickness is also discussed.

Iron/aluminum nanocomposites prepared by one-step reduction method and their effects on thermal decomposition of AP and AN

Aluminum(Al)powder is widely used in solid propellants.In particular,nano-Al has attracted extensive scholarly attention in the field of energetic materials due to its higher reactivity than micro-Al.However,the existence of aluminum oxide film on its surface reduces the heat release performance of the aluminum powder,which greatly limits its application.Hence,this paper used iron,a component of solid propellant,to coat micron-Al and nano-Al to improve the heat release efficiency and reactivity of Al powder.SEM,TEM,EDS,XRD,XPS,and BET were used to investigate the morphological structure and properties of pure Al and Fe/Al composite fuels of different sizes.The results show that Fe was uniformly coated on the surface of Al powder.There was no reaction between Fe and Al,and Fe/Al composite fuels had a larger specific surface area than pure Al,which could better improve the reactivity of pure Al.Besides,the catalytic effects of pure Al and Fe/Al composite fuels of different sizes on ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate were explored.The results show that the catalysis of pure Al powder could be greatly improved by coating Fe on the surface of Al powder.Especially,the micron-Fe/Al composite fuel had a higher catalytic effect than the pure nano-Al powder.Hence,Fe/Al composite fuels are expected to be widely used in solid propellants.

Process Flow Model of Combined High Temperature Fuel Cell Operated with Mixture of Methane and Hydrogen

One of the main challenges of biogas and syngas use as fuel in hybrid solid oxide fuel cell （SOFC） cycles is the variable nature of their composition, which may cause significant changes in plant performance. On the other hand, hydrogen is one of the main components in some types of gasified biomass and syngas. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the influences of hydrogen fraction in inlet fuel on the cycle performance. In this work, a steady-state simulation of a hybrid tubular SOFC-gas turbine （GT） cycle is first presented with two configurations： system with and without anode exhaust recirculation. Then, the results of the model when fueled by syngas, biofuel, and gasified biomass are analyzed, and significant dependency of system operational parameters on the inlet fuel composition are investigated. The analysis of impacts of hydrogen concentration in the inlet fuel on the performance of a hybrid tubular SOFC and gas turbine cycle was carried out. The simulation results were considered when the system was fueled by pure methane as a reference case. Then, the performance of the hybrid SOFC-GT system when methane was partially replaced by H2 from a concentration of 0% to 95% with an increment of 5% at each step was investigated. The system performance was monitored by investigating parameters like temperature and flow rate of streams in different locations of the cycle; SOFC and system thermal efficiency; SOFC, GT, and cycle net and specific work; air to fuel ratio; as well as air and fuel mass flow rate. The results of the sensitivity analysis demonstrate that hydrogen concentration has significant effects on the system operational parameters, such as efficiency and specific work.

Temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and fuel performance of UN-UO_(2) and UN-X-UO_(2)(X=Mo,W)composite nuclear fuels by finite element modeling

The temperature-dependent effective thermal conductivity of UN-X-UO_(2)(X=Mo,W)nuclear fuel composite was estimated.Following the experimental design,the thermal conductivity was calculated using Finite Element Modeling(FEM),and compared with analytical models for 10%,30%,50%,and 70%(in mass)uncoated/coated UN microspheres in a UO_(2) matrix.The FEM results show an increase in the fuel thermal conductivity as the mass fraction of the UN microspheres increases from 1.2 to 4.6 times the UO_(2) reference at 2,000 K.The results from analytical models agree with the thermal conductivity estimated by FEM.The results also show that Mo and W coatings have similar thermal behaviors,and the coating thickness influences the thermal conductivity of the composite.At higher weight fractions,the thermal conductivity of the fuel composite at room temperature is substantially influenced by the high thermal conductivity coatings approaching that of UN.Thereafter,the thermal conductivity from FEM was used in the fuel thermal performance evaluation during LWR normal operation to calculate the maximum centerline temperature.The results show a significant decrease in the fuel maximum centerline temperature ranging from−94 K for 10% UN to−414 K for 70%(in mass)UN compared to UO_(2) under the same operating conditions.

Thermogravimetric,kinetic study and gas emissions analysis of the thermal decomposition of waste-derived fuels

A wide range of wastes can potentially be used to generate thermal and electrical energy.The co-combustion of several types of waste as part of water-containing waste-derived fuels is a promising method for their recovery.In this research,we use thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry to study the thermal behavior and kinetics of coal slime,biomass,waste oils,and blends on their basis.We also analyze the concentrations of gaseous emissions.The results show that biomass,oils,and coal slime significantly affect each other in the course of their co-combustion when added to slurry fuels.The preparation of coal-water slurry based on slime and water reduced the ignition and burnout temperature by up to 16%.Adding biomass and waste oils additionally stimulated the slurry ignition and burnout,which occurred at lower temperatures.Relative to dry coal slime,threshold ignition temperatures and burnout temperatures decreased by 6%–9%and 17%–25%,respectively.Also,the use of biomass and waste oils as part of slurries inhibited NOхand SO_(2)emission by 2.75 times.According to the kinetic analysis,added biomass and waste turbine oil provide a 28%–51%reduction in the activation energy as compared to a coal-water slurry without additives.