Influence of Fuel-Matrix Interaction on the Deformation of U-Mo Dispersion Fuel

In order to predict the fuel plate failure leading to breakaway swelling in the meat, an understanding of the effects of the fuel-matrix interaction behavior on the deformation of fuel meat is necessary. However, the effects of IL formation on the development of breakaway swelling have not been studied thoroughly. A mechanism that explains large pore growth that leads to breakaway swelling has not been included in the existing fuel performance models. In this study, the effect of the fuel-matrix interaction on large interfacial porosity development at the IL-Al interface is analyzed using both mechanistic correlations and observations from the post-irradiation examination results of U-Mo Dispersion fuels. The effects of fuel-matrix interaction on the fuel performance of U-Mo/Al Dispersion fuel were investigated. Fuel-matrix interaction bears the causes for breakaway swelling that can lead to a fuel failure under a high-power irradiation condition. Fission gas atoms are released from U-Mo particles to the interaction layer via diffusion and recoil. The fission gases released from the U-Mo and produced in the ILs are further released to the IL-Al interface by diffusion in the IL and recoil. Large pore formation at the IL-Al interface is attributed to the active diffusion of fission gas atoms in the ILs and coalescence between the small bubbles there. A model calculation showed that IL growth increases the probability of forming a breakaway swelling condition. ILs are connected to each other and the Al matrix decreases as ILs grow. When more ILs are interconnected, breakaway swelling can occur when the effective stress from the fission gas pressure in the IL-Al interfacial pore becomes larger than the yield strength of the Al matrix