A Microstructural Model of the Thermal Conductivity of Dispersion Type Fuels With a Fuel Matrix Interaction Layer

Structure and thermal properties of as-fabricated U-7Mo/Mg and U-10Mo/Mg low-enriched uranium research reactor fuels

“…Post-irradiation examination showed that the U-Mo fuel particles were stable under neutron irradiation; however, there was an excessive UAl x interaction layer that formed between the U-Mo fuel particles and the aluminum matrix, which led to significant fuel swelling [4]. Furthermore, the low-thermal conductivity interaction layer consumed a large portion of the aluminum matrix, thereby lowering the effectiveness of heat removal from the fuel element to the coolant [5], [6]. The combination of fuel swelling and thermal conductivity degradation ultimately led to fuel failures.…”

Fabrication of micro-cell UO2–Mo pellet with enhanced thermal conductivity

“…Enhancing the thermal conductivity of UO 2 fuel pellet is greatly attractive in the aspect of fuel performance [4][5][6]. The high thermal conductive pellet lowers the fuel temperature during operation, reducing the mobility of the fission gases [7][8][9].…”

Thermal conductivity of U–Mo/Al dispersion fuel: effects of particle shape and size, stereography, and heat generation

“…Lee et al [30] measured the thermal conductivity of heat treated dispersion U-Mo/Al fuel. We estimated the thermal conductivity of ILs using Lee's data in a manner similar to William et al [7] by choosing a value that matches the observed degradation as a function of the volume fraction of the ILs. The thermal conductivity of the ILs was chosen as 3 W/m/K.…”

“…However, there is no method to evaluate this effect through experiments. Williams et al [7] developed an FEM model and showed the effect of heat generation in dispersed particles. The effective thermal conductivity of the fuel when heat was generated in the fuel particles was lower than that of the homogenized system.…”