2022 journal article

Analyzing the effect of pressure on the properties of point defects in γU–Mo through atomistic simulations

MRS Advances.

By: B. Beeler n, Y. Zhang*, A. Hasan n, G. Park*, S. Hu* & Z. Mei*

co-author countries: United States of America 🇺🇸
Source: ORCID
Added: October 14, 2022

Uranium–molybdenum (U–Mo) alloys in monolithic fuel foil are the primary candidate for the conversion of high-performance research reactors in the USA. Monolithic fuel is utilized in a plate-type design with a zirconium diffusion barrier and aluminum cladding. These fuel types are unique in that they contain no plenum for the release of fission gases, which, in conjunction with the aluminum cladding, can lead to large stress states within the fuel. The nature of how fundamental processes of radiation damage, including the evolution of point defects, under such stresses occur is unknown. In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of the formation energy of point defects under applied stress. This work will allow for the implementation of stress-dependent microstructural evolution models of nuclear fuels, including those for both fission gas bubble growth and creep, which are critical to ensure the stable and predictable behavior of research reactor fuels.