In this section, you can access to the latest technical information related to the FUTURE project topic.

SiC whisker strengthened UO2?Mo composite pellets with superior thermal-mechanical properties

UO2?Mo composites are expected to be candidate materials for use as enhanced thermal fuel in the next generation of high-level safety reactors. Nevertheless, the UO2 matrix tends to create micro-cracks caused by thermal stress generated during the sintering process. A novel type of UO2?Mo-SiCw composite is fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) to enhance the thermal-mechanical properties of UO2. In the composite, SiCw is dispersed uniformly in the UO2 matrix to form microspheres, and Mo is distributed in a three-dimensional network to form heat-conduction channels. Micro-cracks in the UO2 matrix are significantly suppressed in the UO2?Mo composite, since only a small amount of SiCw is incorporated into the UO2. Indentation testing indicates a great capability of the SiCw to sharply enhance the crack propagation resistance of the UO2 matrix. The estimated indentation fracture toughness reaches 0.91?MPa?m1/2 with the incorporation of 0.5?vol% SiCw, representing a 68.5% improvement over the value of 0.54?MPa?m1/2 obtained for the UO2?Mo composite. The thermal conductivity of the UO2?4Mo composite at 1000??C was enhanced by approximately 54.3%, 60.1% and 67.2% for a SiCw content of 0.5, 2, and 4?vol%, respectively, compared with pure UO2. These results provide new insight for further improving the safety and lifespan of UO2 fuel in reactors.

» Author: Liang Cheng, Rui Gao, Biaojie Yan, Zhenliang Yang, Bingqing Li, Qingdong Xu, Pengchuang Liu, Mingfu Chu, Bin Bai, Pengcheng Zhang

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