Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2000 International RERTR Meeting
METALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF IRRADIATED
RERTR-3 FUEL TEST SPECIMENS
M.K. Meyer, G.L. Hofman*,
R.V. Strain*, C.R. Clark, and J.R. Stuart
Argonne National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2528, Idaho Falls ID 83403
and
*1700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
ABSTRACT
The RERTR-3
irradiation test was designed to investigate the irradiation behavior of
aluminum matrix U-Mo alloy dispersion fuels under high-temperature,
high-fission-rate conditions. Initial
postirradiation examination of RERTR-3 fuel specimens has concentrated on
binary U-Mo atomized fuels. The rate of
matrix aluminum depletion was found to be higher than predictions based on low
temperature irradiation data. Wavelength
Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (WDS) indicates that aluminum is present in the
interior of the fuel particles. WDS
data is supported by a mass and volume balance calculation performed on the
basis of image analysis results. The
depletion of matrix aluminum seems to have no detrimental effects on fuel
performance under the conditions tested to date.
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