Periodic Report Summary 2 - F-BRIDGE (Basic research for innovative fuels design for GEN IV systems)
Project context and objectives:
F-BRIDGE seeks to bridge the gap between basic research and technological applications for generation IV nuclear reactor systems. Advanced modelling and separate effects experiments will be carried out in order to obtain more exact physical descriptions of ceramic fuels and cladding, at all relevant scales from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. Research will also focus on assessing and improving sphere-pac fuel, a composite-ceramics concept which has shown promise.
Nature and scope of the project
Up to now fuel developing and qualifying has been a long and expensive process essentially based on an empirical approach. One of the challenges for the next generation of reactors is to significantly increase the efficiency in designing innovative fuels. The object of the F-BRIDGE project is to complement this empirical approach by a physically-based description of fuel and cladding materials to enable a rationalisation of the design process and a better selection of promising fuel systems.
To reach its ambitious objectives, the project relies on the excellence and complementary expertise of several nuclear and non-nuclear research organisations, universities, a nuclear engineering company, as well as technology and project management consultancy small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Activities
The project activities can be broken down into four main areas:
- Basic research investigations will focus on the generation of missing basic data, the identification of relevant mechanisms and the development of appropriate models. In particular, a multiscale approach in both experimentation and modelling will be developed to bring further insight into the physical, chemical and mechanical behaviour of fuel materials under extreme conditions of temperature and irradiation.
- To be really effective and tackle the most important issues relative to the various generation IV systems, basic research investigations must also be strongly connected to their clients, i.e. fuel designers and manufacturers. The transfer between technological issues and basic research will be effectively achieved by bringing together within the same project materials scientists, engineers and end users that have a detailed knowledge of critical issues.
- As part of this integration effort, F-BRIDGE will provide an assessment of the drawbacks and benefits of the sphere-pac fuel application to various generation IV systems.
- F-BRIDGE will also organise education and training activities, including workshops for scientists, design engineers and end-users involved in the project, which will ensure the exchange of results and ideas among the participants in the project. Two summer schools for young scientists will also be organised, promoting research in the field of fuel materials and helping to prepare to meet tomorrow's challenges. Knowledge sharing between F-BRIDGE experts and young scientists via the training of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students and post-doctoral associates involved in the project will be actively encouraged as well.
Project results:
Events, main technical and scientific advances, communication and dissemination actions of the second year of the project
Main events
The main events of the fourth year of the project can be summarised as follows:
- Fourth plenary meeting in Karlsruhe, March 2011
- Second F-BRIDGE school on 'Synergy between modelling and experiments for the investigation of nuclear fuels and materials under irradiation', Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK), 19 - 23 September 2011
- F-BRIDGE support to the MMSNF workshop, Aix-en-Provence, France, 26 - 28 September 2011
- Fifth plenary meeting, Aix en Provence, France, 20 - 21 February 2012
- Final international workshop, Aix en Provence, France, 21 - 23 February 2012
- Second meeting of the scientific advisory committee, Aix en Provence, France, 23 February 2012
- Second meeting of the user group, Aix en Provence, France, 23 February 2012
- Involvement of F-BRIDGE members in the multiscale modelling of fuel (M2F) and validation and benchmarking of methods (VBM) expert groups from the organisation for economic cooperation and development / working party on multiscale modelling of nuclear fuels and materials OECD / WPMM, 2011-2012
Main technical and scientific advances
The main technical and scientific advances of the fourth year of the project are as follows:
This fourth year has seen a step forwards in the results obtained, as well as the integration between modelling and experiments, between technological and scientific issues and between various scales. A significant number of deliverables were published in the three domains during this last year. The main technical advances are given below:
Domain 1: Basic research experimental simulation and modelling of fuels and SiC cladding from the atomic to the mesoscopic scale
- Publication of the report on the study of the irradiation induced diffusion of He and I in UO2 (D111);
- investigation on the effect of a-damage on the thermophysical properties of UO2 (D113);
- finalisation of the study of chlorine-37 radiation enhanced diffusion in UO2 (D114);
- complementary studies on the irradiation induced diffusion of helium and iodine in UO2 (D115);
- fabrication and first characterisations of uranium carbide samples. (D116);
- characterisation of irradiated SiC microstructure (D117);
- experimental investigation of Ag diffusion in SiC (D118);
- first-principles electronic structure investigation of:
a) bulk actinide carbides: (D122);
b) uranium nitride surface: (D123);
- atomic scale modelling investigation of the effects of irradiation and diffusion near SiC grain boundaries (D124);
- complementary work on rigid lattice thermodynamical calculations (D131 rev1);
- finalisation on the thermodynamic modelling of the U-Pu-O-C system using the Calphad method (D135);
- finalisation of the experimental investigation on the U-Pu-O-C thermodynamic system (D136);
- preparation and characterisation of selected grey phase compounds (D141, D144);
- ab initio modelling investigation of molecular actinide compounds (D142);
- experimental characterisation of the U-Pu-Am-O systems (D143);
- development of a thermodynamic database on the U-Pu-Am-Np-O system (D145);
- experimental investigation on the U-Mo-C phase diagram (D146);
- experimental and modelling thermodynamic investigation of the U-Pu-Si-C phase diagram (D151, D152).
Domain 2: Integration of all scales, transfer between technological issues and basic research
- Establishment of the data request lists linking industrial issues to scientific modelling effort requirements (D212);
- investigation using atomic scale methods of the transport properties of bulk UO2 containing defects and fission products (D222);
- investigation of transport properties in polycrystalline UO2 and in the presence of extended defects using empirical potential (D223);
- first atomic scale modelling of the thermo-mechanical properties of complex microstructures of the nuclear fuel UO2 (D224);
- first application of mesoscale approaches to the diffusion processes in bulk and near extended defects in UO2 (D225);
- multiscale exercise on transport properties in uranium dioxide from the atomic to the mesoscopic scale (D226);
- review of the key material basic data and properties needed for the input and validation of the modelling methods (D232);
- identification and general description of dedicated irradiation tests and PIE to effectively contribute to multiscale modelling efforts (D234);
- demonstration of the feasibility to use electron Backscattering diffraction on irradiated UO2 (D233);
- implementation of material properties in the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code (D242, D243);
- implementation of new models in the new version of the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code (D244).
Domain 3: Application to advanced sphere-pac fuel design
- core physics assessment of advanced sphere-pac fuels (D311);
- chemical evaluation of thermally bonded sphere-pac fuel (D312);
- thermal modelling investigation of sphere-pac fuel options (D313);
- evaluation of advanced sphere-pac fuel types (D314);
- progress on the advanced sphere-pac manufacturing and X-ray tomography characterisation (D321, D329, D326, D327);
- feasibility studies of joining of SiC ceramics and performance characterisation (D328, D329);
- comparison of various fabrication processes and detailed cost evaluation of minor actinide (MA) fuels (D331).
Main communication and dissemination actions
The main communication and dissemination actions of the fourth year of the project were as follows:
- F-BRIDGE project poster at the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) general assembly, Brussels, November 2011
- General article on the F-BRIDGE project, C. Valot et al., Nuclear Engineering and Design 241, 3521 (2011)
- Oral presentation on the integration approach in F-BRIDGE at the second F-BRIDGE school in Cambridge
- 3 PhD theses completed in 2011 and 2012: A. Michel (CEA/DEC), P. Fossati (CEA/DPC), T. Belhabib (CNRS/Orléans)
- Co-organisation of the MMSNF workshop in Aix en Provence, France, September 2011, including eleven talks from F-BRIDGE
- Co-organisation of the 'Material challenges in current and future nuclear technologies' symposium of the 2011 MRS fall meeting by F-BRIDGE participants, M. Bertolus and R. Grimes, December 2011, Boston, United States (US)
- Organisation of the F-BRIDGE final international workshop, Aix-en-Provence, February 2012
- Presentation at the NuMat 2012 conference: 'Multiscale modelling exercise on transport properties in UO2', C. Valot et al, October 2012, Kyoto, Japan
- Numerous oral presentations from F-BRIDGE participants at conferences
- 41 peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals.
Potential impact:
Expected results
The proposed project is the first integrated project on non-metallic nuclear materials which encompasses all the relevant length and time scales between atomic description and macroscopic systems. A similar investigation was performed on irradiation effects in metals in the framework of the 'Prediction of irradiation damage effects on reactor components' (PERFECT) project (funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)), which significantly improved knowledge in that field.
The F-BRIDGE project will contribute to the generation of the most relevant transport, microstructural, thermodynamical and mechanical properties of fuel and ceramic cladding materials using a combination of modelling and experiments. The project will capitalise on the multiscale approach developed during the project to obtain fuel and cladding behaviour descriptions that have a much sounder physical basis. This will enhance the predictive capability of models and contribute to reducing the effort necessary to develop innovative fuels. These developments will be applied to the assessment and improvement of the sphere-pac fuel concept.
Moreover, the cooperation between the scientists, engineers and end-users will ensure a direct translation of technological issues into basic research investigations, as well as the integration of basic research results into useable qualitative and quantitative information. This will have a significant impact on in-pile behaviour prediction, optimisation of irradiation experiments, innovative fuel design and manufacturing.
The 'user group', which comprises representatives from nuclear manufacturers and utilities, will be an essential actor in transferring knowledge between basic research and end-users. Their involvement will guarantee that the project stays in line with the needs of the European industry.
Societal impact
Innovative fuels needed for generation IV systems will not result from marginal adaptations of the currently used fuels. F-BRIDGE acknowledges the strategic need for basic understanding of the behaviour and performance of potential new fuel materials. In this context, the project expects its basic research efforts and integration of teams and fields of research to facilitate the modelling and design of innovative fuel materials. It also expects to make specific recommendations on advanced sphere-pac fuel systems for generation IV applications. The project will also reinforce European cooperation in this strategic scientific field.
F-BRIDGE will help ensure the continued safe operation of existing nuclear installations, and will explore the potential of more advanced technology to deliver an even safer, more resource-efficient, waste-reducing and competitive use of nuclear energy. It is hoped that the project's results will contribute to enhancing the diversity and security of energy supply and combating global warming.
Project website: http:// www.f-bridge.eu
F-BRIDGE seeks to bridge the gap between basic research and technological applications for generation IV nuclear reactor systems. Advanced modelling and separate effects experiments will be carried out in order to obtain more exact physical descriptions of ceramic fuels and cladding, at all relevant scales from the atomic to the macroscopic scale. Research will also focus on assessing and improving sphere-pac fuel, a composite-ceramics concept which has shown promise.
Nature and scope of the project
Up to now fuel developing and qualifying has been a long and expensive process essentially based on an empirical approach. One of the challenges for the next generation of reactors is to significantly increase the efficiency in designing innovative fuels. The object of the F-BRIDGE project is to complement this empirical approach by a physically-based description of fuel and cladding materials to enable a rationalisation of the design process and a better selection of promising fuel systems.
To reach its ambitious objectives, the project relies on the excellence and complementary expertise of several nuclear and non-nuclear research organisations, universities, a nuclear engineering company, as well as technology and project management consultancy small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Activities
The project activities can be broken down into four main areas:
- Basic research investigations will focus on the generation of missing basic data, the identification of relevant mechanisms and the development of appropriate models. In particular, a multiscale approach in both experimentation and modelling will be developed to bring further insight into the physical, chemical and mechanical behaviour of fuel materials under extreme conditions of temperature and irradiation.
- To be really effective and tackle the most important issues relative to the various generation IV systems, basic research investigations must also be strongly connected to their clients, i.e. fuel designers and manufacturers. The transfer between technological issues and basic research will be effectively achieved by bringing together within the same project materials scientists, engineers and end users that have a detailed knowledge of critical issues.
- As part of this integration effort, F-BRIDGE will provide an assessment of the drawbacks and benefits of the sphere-pac fuel application to various generation IV systems.
- F-BRIDGE will also organise education and training activities, including workshops for scientists, design engineers and end-users involved in the project, which will ensure the exchange of results and ideas among the participants in the project. Two summer schools for young scientists will also be organised, promoting research in the field of fuel materials and helping to prepare to meet tomorrow's challenges. Knowledge sharing between F-BRIDGE experts and young scientists via the training of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students and post-doctoral associates involved in the project will be actively encouraged as well.
Project results:
Events, main technical and scientific advances, communication and dissemination actions of the second year of the project
Main events
The main events of the fourth year of the project can be summarised as follows:
- Fourth plenary meeting in Karlsruhe, March 2011
- Second F-BRIDGE school on 'Synergy between modelling and experiments for the investigation of nuclear fuels and materials under irradiation', Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK), 19 - 23 September 2011
- F-BRIDGE support to the MMSNF workshop, Aix-en-Provence, France, 26 - 28 September 2011
- Fifth plenary meeting, Aix en Provence, France, 20 - 21 February 2012
- Final international workshop, Aix en Provence, France, 21 - 23 February 2012
- Second meeting of the scientific advisory committee, Aix en Provence, France, 23 February 2012
- Second meeting of the user group, Aix en Provence, France, 23 February 2012
- Involvement of F-BRIDGE members in the multiscale modelling of fuel (M2F) and validation and benchmarking of methods (VBM) expert groups from the organisation for economic cooperation and development / working party on multiscale modelling of nuclear fuels and materials OECD / WPMM, 2011-2012
Main technical and scientific advances
The main technical and scientific advances of the fourth year of the project are as follows:
This fourth year has seen a step forwards in the results obtained, as well as the integration between modelling and experiments, between technological and scientific issues and between various scales. A significant number of deliverables were published in the three domains during this last year. The main technical advances are given below:
Domain 1: Basic research experimental simulation and modelling of fuels and SiC cladding from the atomic to the mesoscopic scale
- Publication of the report on the study of the irradiation induced diffusion of He and I in UO2 (D111);
- investigation on the effect of a-damage on the thermophysical properties of UO2 (D113);
- finalisation of the study of chlorine-37 radiation enhanced diffusion in UO2 (D114);
- complementary studies on the irradiation induced diffusion of helium and iodine in UO2 (D115);
- fabrication and first characterisations of uranium carbide samples. (D116);
- characterisation of irradiated SiC microstructure (D117);
- experimental investigation of Ag diffusion in SiC (D118);
- first-principles electronic structure investigation of:
a) bulk actinide carbides: (D122);
b) uranium nitride surface: (D123);
- atomic scale modelling investigation of the effects of irradiation and diffusion near SiC grain boundaries (D124);
- complementary work on rigid lattice thermodynamical calculations (D131 rev1);
- finalisation on the thermodynamic modelling of the U-Pu-O-C system using the Calphad method (D135);
- finalisation of the experimental investigation on the U-Pu-O-C thermodynamic system (D136);
- preparation and characterisation of selected grey phase compounds (D141, D144);
- ab initio modelling investigation of molecular actinide compounds (D142);
- experimental characterisation of the U-Pu-Am-O systems (D143);
- development of a thermodynamic database on the U-Pu-Am-Np-O system (D145);
- experimental investigation on the U-Mo-C phase diagram (D146);
- experimental and modelling thermodynamic investigation of the U-Pu-Si-C phase diagram (D151, D152).
Domain 2: Integration of all scales, transfer between technological issues and basic research
- Establishment of the data request lists linking industrial issues to scientific modelling effort requirements (D212);
- investigation using atomic scale methods of the transport properties of bulk UO2 containing defects and fission products (D222);
- investigation of transport properties in polycrystalline UO2 and in the presence of extended defects using empirical potential (D223);
- first atomic scale modelling of the thermo-mechanical properties of complex microstructures of the nuclear fuel UO2 (D224);
- first application of mesoscale approaches to the diffusion processes in bulk and near extended defects in UO2 (D225);
- multiscale exercise on transport properties in uranium dioxide from the atomic to the mesoscopic scale (D226);
- review of the key material basic data and properties needed for the input and validation of the modelling methods (D232);
- identification and general description of dedicated irradiation tests and PIE to effectively contribute to multiscale modelling efforts (D234);
- demonstration of the feasibility to use electron Backscattering diffraction on irradiated UO2 (D233);
- implementation of material properties in the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code (D242, D243);
- implementation of new models in the new version of the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code (D244).
Domain 3: Application to advanced sphere-pac fuel design
- core physics assessment of advanced sphere-pac fuels (D311);
- chemical evaluation of thermally bonded sphere-pac fuel (D312);
- thermal modelling investigation of sphere-pac fuel options (D313);
- evaluation of advanced sphere-pac fuel types (D314);
- progress on the advanced sphere-pac manufacturing and X-ray tomography characterisation (D321, D329, D326, D327);
- feasibility studies of joining of SiC ceramics and performance characterisation (D328, D329);
- comparison of various fabrication processes and detailed cost evaluation of minor actinide (MA) fuels (D331).
Main communication and dissemination actions
The main communication and dissemination actions of the fourth year of the project were as follows:
- F-BRIDGE project poster at the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) general assembly, Brussels, November 2011
- General article on the F-BRIDGE project, C. Valot et al., Nuclear Engineering and Design 241, 3521 (2011)
- Oral presentation on the integration approach in F-BRIDGE at the second F-BRIDGE school in Cambridge
- 3 PhD theses completed in 2011 and 2012: A. Michel (CEA/DEC), P. Fossati (CEA/DPC), T. Belhabib (CNRS/Orléans)
- Co-organisation of the MMSNF workshop in Aix en Provence, France, September 2011, including eleven talks from F-BRIDGE
- Co-organisation of the 'Material challenges in current and future nuclear technologies' symposium of the 2011 MRS fall meeting by F-BRIDGE participants, M. Bertolus and R. Grimes, December 2011, Boston, United States (US)
- Organisation of the F-BRIDGE final international workshop, Aix-en-Provence, February 2012
- Presentation at the NuMat 2012 conference: 'Multiscale modelling exercise on transport properties in UO2', C. Valot et al, October 2012, Kyoto, Japan
- Numerous oral presentations from F-BRIDGE participants at conferences
- 41 peer-reviewed articles published in scientific journals.
Potential impact:
Expected results
The proposed project is the first integrated project on non-metallic nuclear materials which encompasses all the relevant length and time scales between atomic description and macroscopic systems. A similar investigation was performed on irradiation effects in metals in the framework of the 'Prediction of irradiation damage effects on reactor components' (PERFECT) project (funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)), which significantly improved knowledge in that field.
The F-BRIDGE project will contribute to the generation of the most relevant transport, microstructural, thermodynamical and mechanical properties of fuel and ceramic cladding materials using a combination of modelling and experiments. The project will capitalise on the multiscale approach developed during the project to obtain fuel and cladding behaviour descriptions that have a much sounder physical basis. This will enhance the predictive capability of models and contribute to reducing the effort necessary to develop innovative fuels. These developments will be applied to the assessment and improvement of the sphere-pac fuel concept.
Moreover, the cooperation between the scientists, engineers and end-users will ensure a direct translation of technological issues into basic research investigations, as well as the integration of basic research results into useable qualitative and quantitative information. This will have a significant impact on in-pile behaviour prediction, optimisation of irradiation experiments, innovative fuel design and manufacturing.
The 'user group', which comprises representatives from nuclear manufacturers and utilities, will be an essential actor in transferring knowledge between basic research and end-users. Their involvement will guarantee that the project stays in line with the needs of the European industry.
Societal impact
Innovative fuels needed for generation IV systems will not result from marginal adaptations of the currently used fuels. F-BRIDGE acknowledges the strategic need for basic understanding of the behaviour and performance of potential new fuel materials. In this context, the project expects its basic research efforts and integration of teams and fields of research to facilitate the modelling and design of innovative fuel materials. It also expects to make specific recommendations on advanced sphere-pac fuel systems for generation IV applications. The project will also reinforce European cooperation in this strategic scientific field.
F-BRIDGE will help ensure the continued safe operation of existing nuclear installations, and will explore the potential of more advanced technology to deliver an even safer, more resource-efficient, waste-reducing and competitive use of nuclear energy. It is hoped that the project's results will contribute to enhancing the diversity and security of energy supply and combating global warming.
Project website: http:// www.f-bridge.eu
