Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Nuclear Materials. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Nuclear Materials, 562, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153612
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Simulation of uranium mononitride spent fuel
T2 - A crystallographic approach
AU - Degueldre, C.
AU - Goddard, D.T.
AU - Berhane, G.
AU - Simpson, A.
AU - Boxall, C.
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Nuclear Materials. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Nuclear Materials, 562, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153612
PY - 2022/4/15
Y1 - 2022/4/15
N2 - Uranium mononitride (UN) is an attractive fuel for a range of reactors, including, with adequate protection against reaction with water, for large scale and small modular light water reactors. The study of the speciation of fission products (Fps) in spent UN fuel is required to understand their properties such as phase stability and retention during long term storage and disposal. The present study reviews and applies Hume-Rothery rules to predict this speciation. This law provides an estimate of the way UN may form solid solutions with actinide (An) and fission product mononitrides from Beginning of Life (BoL) to End of Life (EoL). Composition at EoL is estimated for a high burnup fuel (60 MW d kg−1) using the FISPIN fuel inventory code. Many Fps are trivalent (Ln, Y, Zr, Nb) and are expected to recrystallize in face centred cubic (fcc) solid solutions with UN. Other Fps are divalent (Ba, Sr) and monovalent (Cs, Rb) and some elements are non-valent (Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd) as well as noble gases (Xe, Kr), and halides (I, Br) which may form nano-precipitates. Actinides formed by neutron capture of 238U are all An3+ which are also expected and found in fcc solid solution with UN. The spent fuel is consequently formed of a large fraction of solid soluble nitrides (U, An, Ln, Y, Zr, Nb)N forming a single rather homogeneous phase according to the Hume-Rothery rules. This phase will also follow Vegard's law. Because of the low temperature of the fuel, the Fps are expected to be soluble or nano-dispersed precipitates. Microscopic precipitated phases are not expected.
AB - Uranium mononitride (UN) is an attractive fuel for a range of reactors, including, with adequate protection against reaction with water, for large scale and small modular light water reactors. The study of the speciation of fission products (Fps) in spent UN fuel is required to understand their properties such as phase stability and retention during long term storage and disposal. The present study reviews and applies Hume-Rothery rules to predict this speciation. This law provides an estimate of the way UN may form solid solutions with actinide (An) and fission product mononitrides from Beginning of Life (BoL) to End of Life (EoL). Composition at EoL is estimated for a high burnup fuel (60 MW d kg−1) using the FISPIN fuel inventory code. Many Fps are trivalent (Ln, Y, Zr, Nb) and are expected to recrystallize in face centred cubic (fcc) solid solutions with UN. Other Fps are divalent (Ba, Sr) and monovalent (Cs, Rb) and some elements are non-valent (Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd) as well as noble gases (Xe, Kr), and halides (I, Br) which may form nano-precipitates. Actinides formed by neutron capture of 238U are all An3+ which are also expected and found in fcc solid solution with UN. The spent fuel is consequently formed of a large fraction of solid soluble nitrides (U, An, Ln, Y, Zr, Nb)N forming a single rather homogeneous phase according to the Hume-Rothery rules. This phase will also follow Vegard's law. Because of the low temperature of the fuel, the Fps are expected to be soluble or nano-dispersed precipitates. Microscopic precipitated phases are not expected.
KW - Actinide nitride solubility
KW - Fission product nitride solubility
KW - Nitride spent fuel
KW - Transition metal precipitate
KW - Uranium mononitride
KW - Fuel storage
KW - Inert gases
KW - Light water reactors
KW - Nitrides
KW - Nuclear fuel reprocessing
KW - Solid solutions
KW - Solubility
KW - Temperature
KW - Transition metals
KW - Uranium compounds
KW - Actinide nitrides
KW - End of lives
KW - Face-centred cubic
KW - Hume-Rothery rules
KW - Metal precipitates
KW - Mononitride
KW - Nitride spend fuel
KW - Fission products
U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153612
DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2022.153612
M3 - Journal article
VL - 562
JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials
JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials
SN - 0022-3115
M1 - 153612
ER -