Potential source of carbon contamination in U-Zr melt processed in Y2O3-plasma-spray-coated graphite

Seong Jun Ha; Seoung Woo Kuk; Kyung Chai Jeong; Young Kook Lee; Jeong Yong Park

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152810

Potential source of carbon contamination in U-Zr melt processed in Y₂O₃-plasma-spray-coated graphite

Seong Jun Ha, Seoung Woo Kuk, Kyung Chai Jeong, Young Kook Lee, Jeong Yong Park

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study investigated carbon contamination in U-10wt.%Zr metallic fuel in the casting process based on the interaction between the U-Zr alloy melt and the Y₂O₃-plasma-spray-coated graphite. During the injection casting of U-10wt.%Zr, a ZrC reaction layer was found to form at the interface between the U-Zr melt and the Y₂O₃-plasma-coated graphite crucible. ZrC inclusions were also found in the matrix of the melt residue. This C contamination, evidenced by the formation of ZrC, is attributed to the migration of C through the Y₂O₃ coating from the graphite crucible. The results of TGA experiments using a Y₂O₃-plasma-coated graphite sample suggest that CO is produced by a reaction between Y₂O₃ and graphite at temperatures above 1773 K, which then migrates through defects in the coating to react with Zr in the U-Zr melt.

Original language	English
Article number	152810
Journal	Journal of Nuclear Materials
Volume	547
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152810
Publication status	Published - 2021 Apr 15

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Nuclear Research and Development Program of the National Research Foundation Grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT in Korea ( NRF-2017M2A8A5014889 ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Materials Science(all)
Nuclear Energy and Engineering

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152810

Cite this

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title = "Potential source of carbon contamination in U-Zr melt processed in Y2O3-plasma-spray-coated graphite",

abstract = "This study investigated carbon contamination in U-10wt.%Zr metallic fuel in the casting process based on the interaction between the U-Zr alloy melt and the Y2O3-plasma-spray-coated graphite. During the injection casting of U-10wt.%Zr, a ZrC reaction layer was found to form at the interface between the U-Zr melt and the Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite crucible. ZrC inclusions were also found in the matrix of the melt residue. This C contamination, evidenced by the formation of ZrC, is attributed to the migration of C through the Y2O3 coating from the graphite crucible. The results of TGA experiments using a Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite sample suggest that CO is produced by a reaction between Y2O3 and graphite at temperatures above 1773 K, which then migrates through defects in the coating to react with Zr in the U-Zr melt.",

author = "Ha, {Seong Jun} and Kuk, {Seoung Woo} and Jeong, {Kyung Chai} and Lee, {Young Kook} and Park, {Jeong Yong}",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Nuclear Research and Development Program of the National Research Foundation Grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT in Korea ( NRF-2017M2A8A5014889 ). Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2021",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152810",

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AU - Ha, Seong Jun

AU - Kuk, Seoung Woo

AU - Jeong, Kyung Chai

AU - Lee, Young Kook

AU - Park, Jeong Yong

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Nuclear Research and Development Program of the National Research Foundation Grant funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT in Korea ( NRF-2017M2A8A5014889 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2021/4/15

Y1 - 2021/4/15

N2 - This study investigated carbon contamination in U-10wt.%Zr metallic fuel in the casting process based on the interaction between the U-Zr alloy melt and the Y2O3-plasma-spray-coated graphite. During the injection casting of U-10wt.%Zr, a ZrC reaction layer was found to form at the interface between the U-Zr melt and the Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite crucible. ZrC inclusions were also found in the matrix of the melt residue. This C contamination, evidenced by the formation of ZrC, is attributed to the migration of C through the Y2O3 coating from the graphite crucible. The results of TGA experiments using a Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite sample suggest that CO is produced by a reaction between Y2O3 and graphite at temperatures above 1773 K, which then migrates through defects in the coating to react with Zr in the U-Zr melt.

AB - This study investigated carbon contamination in U-10wt.%Zr metallic fuel in the casting process based on the interaction between the U-Zr alloy melt and the Y2O3-plasma-spray-coated graphite. During the injection casting of U-10wt.%Zr, a ZrC reaction layer was found to form at the interface between the U-Zr melt and the Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite crucible. ZrC inclusions were also found in the matrix of the melt residue. This C contamination, evidenced by the formation of ZrC, is attributed to the migration of C through the Y2O3 coating from the graphite crucible. The results of TGA experiments using a Y2O3-plasma-coated graphite sample suggest that CO is produced by a reaction between Y2O3 and graphite at temperatures above 1773 K, which then migrates through defects in the coating to react with Zr in the U-Zr melt.

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