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Conference Article: Bubble development and fission gas release during rapid heating of 18 GWd/TeU UO2

Small, G.J. (Materials Development Division, AERE Harwell (United Kingdom))

Abstract

Small samples (approximately 50 mg) of UO2 irradiated to 18 GWd/TeU have been heated rapidly in an out-of-pile furnace. Ramp rates were in the range 10-80 deg. C.s-1, peak temperatures varied from 1400 deg. C to 2500 deg. C and dwell times from one to fifteen min. The specimens were sealed in small capsules which were subsequently pierced to determine the total amount of fission gas (85Kr) released during each test. Changes in the size and number of gas bubbles on grain boundaries were examined using SEM, TEM, replication and fractography techniques will be employed later. In this paper are reported the first series of gas release results and some metallography. The results are compared with related experiments and some qualitative conclusions are drawn regarding the mechanisms and kinetics of transient fission gas behaviour.

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key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
Specialists' meeting on fission product release and transport in gas-cooled reactors Berkeley (United Kingdom) 22-25 Oct 1985
International Atomic Energy Agency, International Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors, Vienna (Austria)
IWGGCR--13, pp:114-138