Post-irradiation examination of UN-Mo-W fuels for space nuclear propulsion

IF 2.8 2区工程技术 Q3 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of Nuclear Materials Pub Date : 2024-10-28 DOI:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155476

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's return to space nuclear propulsion stems from the need for a more efficient method of space travel. Nuclear thermal propulsion systems have been shown to be two times more efficient than chemical propulsion. NASA's Sirius program was created to fabricate and test fuels for space nuclear propulsion, specifically to determine their performance under prototypical startup conditions. The Sirius project featured 4 test capsules, Sirius-1 featured uranium nitride fuel dispersed in a matrix of tungsten and rhenium, while Sirius-2A, -2B, and -3 featured uranium nitride-molybdenum-tungsten fuel (UN-Mo-W). This study discusses the Sirius-2A and -2B irradiation experiments at the Idaho National Laboratory, specifically their performance under irradiation at the Transient Reactor Test Facility. It was found that the fuel samples overall did not exhibit significant cracking, though the Sirius-2A fuel did have one large crack on the surface of the fuel. There was minimal hydrogen absorption in the samples, though it is unknown if the absorption occurred during irradiation or during fabrication. Mechanical testing indicated that the UN fuel demonstrated ceramic behavior as expected, and the Mo/W matrix demonstrated linear elastic behavior to failure.

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用于空间核推进的 UN-Mo-W 燃料的辐照后检查

美国国家航空航天局之所以重返太空核推进，是因为需要一种更有效的太空旅行方法。核热推进系统的效率是化学推进的两倍。NASA 的天狼星计划旨在制造和测试用于太空核推进的燃料，特别是确定其在原型启动条件下的性能。天狼星项目包括 4 个试验舱，其中天狼星-1 号采用的是分散在钨和铼基体中的氮化铀燃料，而天狼星-2A、-2B 和-3 号采用的是氮化铀-钼-钨燃料（UN-Mo-W）。本研究讨论了爱达荷国家实验室的天狼星-2A 和-2B 号辐照实验，特别是它们在瞬变反应堆试验设施中的辐照性能。实验发现，虽然天狼星-2A 燃料的表面出现了一条大裂缝，但燃料样品总体上没有出现明显的裂缝。样品中的氢吸收极少，但不知道是在辐照过程中还是在制造过程中发生的。机械测试表明，UN 燃料表现出预期的陶瓷特性，而 Mo/W 基体则表现出线性弹性特性，直至失效。

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来源期刊

Journal of Nuclear Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

5.70

自引率

25.80%

发文量

601

审稿时长

63 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Nuclear Materials publishes high quality papers in materials research for nuclear applications, primarily fission reactors, fusion reactors, and similar environments including radiation areas of charged particle accelerators. Both original research and critical review papers covering experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of either fundamental or applied nature are welcome. The breadth of the field is such that a wide range of processes and properties in the field of materials science and engineering is of interest to the readership, spanning atom-scale processes, microstructures, thermodynamics, mechanical properties, physical properties, and corrosion, for example. Topics covered by JNM Fission reactor materials, including fuels, cladding, core structures, pressure vessels, coolant interactions with materials, moderator and control components, fission product behavior. Materials aspects of the entire fuel cycle. Materials aspects of the actinides and their compounds. Performance of nuclear waste materials; materials aspects of the immobilization of wastes. Fusion reactor materials, including first walls, blankets, insulators and magnets. Neutron and charged particle radiation effects in materials, including defects, transmutations, microstructures, phase changes and macroscopic properties. Interaction of plasmas, ion beams, electron beams and electromagnetic radiation with materials relevant to nuclear systems.