Irradiation behavior of experimental fuel particles containing chemically vapor deposited zirconium carbide coatings

Fuel particles for the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) contain a layer of pyrolytic silicon carbide to act as a miniature pressure vessel and primary fission product barrier. Optimization of the SiC coating with respect to fuel performance involves four areas of study: (a) characterization of as-deposited SiC coatings; (b) thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions between SiC and fission products; (c) irradiation behavior of SiC in the absence of fission products; and (d) the combined effects of irradiation and fission product interactions. This paper reports the behavior of SiC deposited on fissile fuel particles and irradiated to fast neutron fluences typical of HTGR fuel at end-of-life.

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Irradiation behavior of pyrolytic silicon carbide

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100074288 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 72-73

Author(s):

R. J. Lauf

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Fission Products ◽

Thermodynamics And Kinetics ◽

Neutron Fluences ◽

Fuel Particles ◽

Sic Coatings ◽

Irradiation Behavior ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Htgr Fuel

Fuel particles for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) contain a layer of pyrolytic silicon carbide to act as a miniature pressure vessel and primary fission product barrier. Optimization of the SiC with respect to fuel performance involves four areas of study: (a) characterization of as-deposited SiC coatings; (b) thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical reactions between SiC and fission products; (c) irradiation behavior of SiC in the absence of fission products; and (d) combined effects of irradiation and fission products. This paper reports the behavior of SiC deposited on inert microspheres and irradiated to fast neutron fluences typical of HTGR fuel at end-of-life.

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Codeposited pyrocarbon-silicon carbide coatings for nuclear fuel particles

Journal of Nuclear Materials ◽

10.1016/0022-3115(75)90113-0 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 237-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

J.L. Kaae ◽

G.H. Reynolds

Keyword(s):

Silicon Carbide ◽

Nuclear Fuel ◽

Carbide Coatings ◽

Fuel Particles ◽

Nuclear Fuel Particles

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Preparation and Characterization of Zirconium Carbide Coating on Coated Fuel Particles

Journal of the American Ceramic Society ◽

10.1111/j.1551-2916.2007.01965.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 90 (11) ◽

pp. 3690-3693 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Chao Liu ◽

Bing Liu ◽

Youlin Shao ◽

Ziqiang Li ◽

Chunhe Tang

Keyword(s):

Zirconium Carbide ◽

Carbide Coating ◽

Fuel Particles

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Control of stoichiometry, microstructure, and mechanical properties in SiC coatings produced by fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition

Journal of Materials Research ◽

10.1557/jmr.2008.0220 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 23 (6) ◽

pp. 1785-1796 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

E. López-Honorato ◽

P.J. Meadows ◽

J. Tan ◽

P. Xiao

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Silicon Carbide ◽

Chemical Vapor Deposition ◽

Young’S Modulus ◽

Fluidized Bed ◽

Vapor Deposition ◽

Young's Modulus ◽

Chemical Vapor ◽

Carbide Coatings ◽

Fuel Particles

Stoichiometric silicon carbide coatings the same as those used in the formation of TRISO (TRistructural ISOtropic) fuel particles were produced by the decomposition of methyltrichlorosilane in hydrogen. Fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition at around 1500 °C, produced SiC with a Young’s modulus of 362 to 399 GPa. In this paper we demonstrate the deposition of stoichiometric silicon carbide coatings with refined microstructure (grain size between 0.4 and 0.8 μm) and enhanced mechanical properties (Young’s modulus of 448 GPa and hardness of 42 GPa) at 1300 °C by the addition of propene. The addition of ethyne, however, had little effect on the deposition of silicon carbide. The effect of deposition temperature and precursor concentration were correlated to changes in the type of molecules participating in the deposition mechanism.

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