Interaction between uranium oxide alloyed with Al2O3·SiO2 and pyrocarbon coating during irradiation of micro fuel elements

The thermodynamics of the interaction between uranium oxide and carbon was previously studied in the presence of Al2O3·SiO2, SiC, and UC1.86; in this case, the quantity of the reacting substances does not have any effect on the attainment of the equilibrium state. Based on the obtained results, it is interesting to study the characteristic features of the interaction between the alloyed UOx cores (kernels) with the PyC-coating under the conditions involving irradiation of the micro fuel elements with thermal neutrons and the formation of solid fission products. The data concerning the characteristics of a micro fuel element (the weight of the core, its composition, etc.) are useful for carrying out a quantitative evaluation of the additives required for fixing the alkali-earth fission products by obtaining stable compounds of aluminosilicates with Ba, Sr, Rb, and Cs at different levels of depletion (burnup) of the oxide fuel. An analysis of the interaction processes in such a complex system as the irradiated alloyed uranium oxide fuel located in a micro fuel element is carried out by comparing the chemical potential of oxygen (RT ln PO2) for the competing constituents of the system