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Analyzing the effect of pressure on the properties of point defects in γU–Mo through atomistic simulations

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A Correction to this article was published on 05 December 2022

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Abstract

Uranium–molybdenum (U–Mo) alloys in monolithic fuel foil are the primary candidate for the conversion of high-performance research reactors in the USA. Monolithic fuel is utilized in a plate-type design with a zirconium diffusion barrier and aluminum cladding. These fuel types are unique in that they contain no plenum for the release of fission gases, which, in conjunction with the aluminum cladding, can lead to large stress states within the fuel. The nature of how fundamental processes of radiation damage, including the evolution of point defects, under such stresses occur is unknown. In this work, we present molecular dynamics simulations of the formation energy of point defects under applied stress. This work will allow for the implementation of stress-dependent microstructural evolution models of nuclear fuels, including those for both fission gas bubble growth and creep, which are critical to ensure the stable and predictable behavior of research reactor fuels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Material Management and Minimization, National Nuclear Security Administration, under DOE-NE Idaho Operations Office Contract DE-AC07-05ID14517. This manuscript has been authored by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC with the U.S. Department of Energy. The publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes. This research made use of the resources of the High-Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Science User Facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    Benjamin Beeler & ATM Jahid Hasan

  2. Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, USA

    Benjamin Beeler

  3. University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

    Yongfeng Zhang

  4. Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA

    Gyuchul Park

  5. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, USA

    Shenyang Hu

  6. Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, USA

    Zhi-Gang Mei

Authors
  1. Benjamin Beeler
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  2. Yongfeng Zhang
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  3. ATM Jahid Hasan
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  4. Gyuchul Park
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  5. Shenyang Hu
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  6. Zhi-Gang Mei
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Correspondence to Benjamin Beeler.

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Beeler, B., Zhang, Y., Jahid Hasan, A. et al. Analyzing the effect of pressure on the properties of point defects in γU–Mo through atomistic simulations. MRS Advances 8, 1–5 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00350-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43580-022-00350-y

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