Assessment of the hydrogen resistance of (U0.2Zr0.8)C following exposure up to 2327 °C.
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| Title: | Assessment of the hydrogen resistance of (U0.2Zr0.8)C following exposure up to 2327 °C. |
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| Authors: | Kardoulaki, Erofili1 (AUTHOR) ekardoulaki@lanl.gov, Kosmidou, Maria1 (AUTHOR), Rizk, Jason1 (AUTHOR), Byler, Darrin1 (AUTHOR), Li, Nan1 (AUTHOR), Croell, Arne2 (AUTHOR), Williams, Jamelle K.P.3 (AUTHOR), Rosales, Jhonathan3 (AUTHOR), McClellan, Kenneth J.1 (AUTHOR), Vogel, Sven C.1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Ceramics International. Jun2025, Vol. 51 Issue 15, p20482-20491. 10p. |
| Subjects: | Zirconium carbide, Geothermal reactors, Lattice constants, Nuclear fuels, Neutron diffraction |
| Abstract: | Nuclear fuels able to withstand hydrogen exposure >2227 °C with minimal chemical and mechanical changes are required to enable nuclear thermal propulsion reactors for deep space exploration. Previously (U 0.2 Zr 0.8)C was demonstrated to exhibit minimal mass loss, while maintaining structural integrity, when exposed to hydrogen at 2327 °C for 3 h. Here, various techniques were implemented for an in-depth characterization of that same sample. X-ray and neutron diffraction were used to assess for formation of secondary phases and to examine lattice parameter changes on the surface and the bulk of the material by probing the full volume of the 8 × 8 × 12 mm sample. In addition, nano-indentation and microstructural characterization were conducted to understand the impact of hydrogen exposure to the mechanical properties and internal microstructure of the material. The results indicate that: 1) no new phases were observed throughout the volume of the hydrogen-exposed sample, nor any lattice parameter evolution was reported suggesting the composition of the sample following hydrogen exposure remained unchanged; 2) the microstructure was not significantly altered, although a small reduction in the grain size (as-fabricated: 12.9 ± 2.98 μ m, hydrogen exposed: 8.6 ± 2.71 μ m) and an increase in porosity (as-fabricated: 97.82 % theoretical density (TD), hydrogen exposed: 89.31 % TD) were observed; 3) the hardness of the hydrogen-exposed material did increase by ∼8.5 % when compared to the as-fabricated material and the hardness of the hydrogen exposed sample was shown to decrease with increasing temperature, as expected based on experience with ZrC. This detailed post-characterization examination, which is the first of its kind for fuels exposed to pure hydrogen at 2327 °C, suggests (U 0.2 Zr 0.8)C would be incredibly resistant against chemical, dimensional, and mechanical changes when exposed to high temperature hydrogen during operation of a nuclear thermal propulsion reactor, making it an attractive fuel choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Ceramics International is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 185523447 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Assessment of the hydrogen resistance of (U0.2Zr0.8)C following exposure up to 2327 °C. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kardoulaki%2C+Erofili%22">Kardoulaki, Erofili</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> ekardoulaki@lanl.gov</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kosmidou%2C+Maria%22">Kosmidou, Maria</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rizk%2C+Jason%22">Rizk, Jason</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Byler%2C+Darrin%22">Byler, Darrin</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Nan%22">Li, Nan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Croell%2C+Arne%22">Croell, Arne</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Williams%2C+Jamelle+K%2EP%2E%22">Williams, Jamelle K.P.</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rosales%2C+Jhonathan%22">Rosales, Jhonathan</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McClellan%2C+Kenneth+J%2E%22">McClellan, Kenneth J.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vogel%2C+Sven+C%2E%22">Vogel, Sven C.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Ceramics+International%22">Ceramics International</searchLink>. Jun2025, Vol. 51 Issue 15, p20482-20491. 10p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Zirconium+carbide%22">Zirconium carbide</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Geothermal+reactors%22">Geothermal reactors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lattice+constants%22">Lattice constants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nuclear+fuels%22">Nuclear fuels</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neutron+diffraction%22">Neutron diffraction</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Nuclear fuels able to withstand hydrogen exposure >2227 °C with minimal chemical and mechanical changes are required to enable nuclear thermal propulsion reactors for deep space exploration. Previously (U 0.2 Zr 0.8)C was demonstrated to exhibit minimal mass loss, while maintaining structural integrity, when exposed to hydrogen at 2327 °C for 3 h. Here, various techniques were implemented for an in-depth characterization of that same sample. X-ray and neutron diffraction were used to assess for formation of secondary phases and to examine lattice parameter changes on the surface and the bulk of the material by probing the full volume of the 8 × 8 × 12 mm sample. In addition, nano-indentation and microstructural characterization were conducted to understand the impact of hydrogen exposure to the mechanical properties and internal microstructure of the material. The results indicate that: 1) no new phases were observed throughout the volume of the hydrogen-exposed sample, nor any lattice parameter evolution was reported suggesting the composition of the sample following hydrogen exposure remained unchanged; 2) the microstructure was not significantly altered, although a small reduction in the grain size (as-fabricated: 12.9 ± 2.98 μ m, hydrogen exposed: 8.6 ± 2.71 μ m) and an increase in porosity (as-fabricated: 97.82 % theoretical density (TD), hydrogen exposed: 89.31 % TD) were observed; 3) the hardness of the hydrogen-exposed material did increase by ∼8.5 % when compared to the as-fabricated material and the hardness of the hydrogen exposed sample was shown to decrease with increasing temperature, as expected based on experience with ZrC. This detailed post-characterization examination, which is the first of its kind for fuels exposed to pure hydrogen at 2327 °C, suggests (U 0.2 Zr 0.8)C would be incredibly resistant against chemical, dimensional, and mechanical changes when exposed to high temperature hydrogen during operation of a nuclear thermal propulsion reactor, making it an attractive fuel choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Ceramics International is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.02.218 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 10 StartPage: 20482 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Zirconium carbide Type: general – SubjectFull: Geothermal reactors Type: general – SubjectFull: Lattice constants Type: general – SubjectFull: Nuclear fuels Type: general – SubjectFull: Neutron diffraction Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Assessment of the hydrogen resistance of (U0.2Zr0.8)C following exposure up to 2327 °C. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kardoulaki, Erofili – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kosmidou, Maria – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rizk, Jason – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Byler, Darrin – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Li, Nan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Croell, Arne – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Williams, Jamelle K.P. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rosales, Jhonathan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: McClellan, Kenneth J. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Vogel, Sven C. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 15 M: 06 Text: Jun2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 02728842 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 51 – Type: issue Value: 15 Titles: – TitleFull: Ceramics International Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
