• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.253-258
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• 2018

A microcell $UO_2$ pellet, as an accident-tolerant fuel pellet, is being developed to enhance the accident tolerance of nuclear fuels under accident conditions as well as the fuel performance under normal operation conditions. Improved capture-ability for highly radioactive and corrosive fission product (Cs and I) is the distinct feature of a ceramic microcell $UO_2$ pellet, and the enhanced pellet thermal conductivity is that of a metallic microcell $UO_2$ pellet. The fuel temperature can be effectively decreased by enhanced thermal conductivity. In this study, the material concepts of metallic and ceramic microcell $UO_2$ pellets were designed, and the fabrication process of microcell $UO_2$ pellets embodying the designed concept was developed. We successfully implemented the microcell $UO_2$ pellets and produced microcell $UO_2$ pellets. In addition, an assessment of the out-of-pile properties of a microcell $UO_2$ pellet was performed, and the in-reactor performance and behavior of the developed microcell pellets were evaluated through a Halden irradiation test. According to the expectations, the excellent performance of the microcell $UO_2$ pellets was confirmed by the online measurement data of the Halden irradiation test.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2019

As candidates for accident-tolerant fuels, ceramic microcell fuels, which are distinguished by their peculiar microstructures, are being developed; these fuels have $UO_2$ grains surrounded by cell walls. They contribute to nuclear fuel safety by retention of fission products within the $UO_2$ pellet, reducing rod pressure and incidence of SCC failure. Cesium, a hazardous fission product in terms of amount and radioactivity, can be captured by chemical reactions with ceramic cell materials. The capture-ability of cesium therefore depends on the thermodynamics of the capturing reaction. Conversely, compositional design of cell materials should be based on thermodynamic predictions. This study proposes thermodynamic calculations to evaluate the cesium capture-ability of three ceramic microcell compositions: Si-Ti-O, Si-Cr-O and Si-Al-O. Prior to the calculations, the chemical and physical states of the cesium and the cell materials were defined. Then, the reactivity was evaluated by calculating the cesium potential (${\Delta}G_{Cs}$) and oxygen potential (${\Delta}G_{O_2}$) under simulated LWR circumstances of normal operation. Based on the results, cesium capture is expected to be spontaneous in all cell compositions, providing a basis for the compositional design of ceramic microcell fuels as well as a facile way for evaluating cesium capture.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2020

One of the promising candidates for accident-tolerant fuel (ATF), a ceramic microcell fuel, which can be distinguished by an unusual cell-like microstructure (UO₂ grain cell surrounded by a doped oxide cell wall), is being developed. This study deals with the microstructural observation of the constituent phases and the wetting behaviors of the cell wall materials in three kinds of ceramic microcell UO₂ pellets: Si-Ti-O (STO), Si-Cr-O (SCO), and Al-Si-Ti-O (ASTO). The chemical and physical states of the cell wall materials are estimated by HSC Chemistry and confirmed by experiment to be mixtures of Si-O and Ti-O for the STO; Si-O and Cr-O for SCO; and Si-O, Ti-O, and Al-Si-O for the ASTO. From their morphology at triple junctions, UO₂ grains appear to be wet by the Si-O or Al-Si-O rather than other oxides, providing a benefit on the capture-ability of the ceramic microcell cell wall. The wetting behavior can be explained by the relationships between the interface energy and the contact angle.