Browsing by Subject "melting"
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Item Characterization of Zr-Fe-Cu Alloys for an Inert Matrix Fuel for Nuclear Energy Applications(2013-08-09) Barnhart, Brian A.An ultra-high burnup metallic inert matrix nuclear fuel concept is being characterized and evaluated by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory based on a metal matrix fuel concept originally developed at the Bochvar Institute in Russia. The concept comprises a dispersion of uranium metal microspheres in a Zr-based alloy matrix that provides thermal bonding between the fuel particles and the cladding material. The objective of this study was to experimentally evaluate both the microstructural and thermophysical properties of Zr-Fe-Cu alloys. The experiments and analyses described were divided into three main parts, nominally based on the analysis methods used to examine the alloys. An Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA) was used to characterize the metallurgical properties of the proposed matrix alloys. The groups of alloys were cast using a high temperature inert atmosphere furnace. The cast alloys showed the expected combination of phases with the exception of the ZrFe2 Laves phase which was predicted for the Zr-12Fe-15Cu1 alloy but was not detected. The Zr-12Fe-5Cu alloy consisted of a Zr solution phase dispersed in a matrix of two different intermetallic phases. The second alloy, Zr-12Fe-10Cu, did not produce a homogenous mixture and consisted of two distinct phase morphologies. The top half of the sample was Zr rich and contained Zr precipitates dispersed in a matrix of intermetallic compounds while the bottom half consisted solely of intermetallic compounds. The third alloy, Zr-12Fe-15Cu, was comprised of four different intermetallic phases three of which had the same apparent Zr_(2)(Fe,Cu) structure but had distinct phase morphologies based on the Backscatter Electron (BSE) images. Upon determining the phase morphologies of each of the fabricated alloys Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to measure phase transformation and melting temperatures. Little difference was observed between the as-cast and annealed samples. The transitions shifted slightly to higher temperatures and the annealed Zr-12Fe-15Cu alloy only had two transitions compared to three seen in the as-cast samples. Slight changes were observed in the melting temperatures between the as-cast and annealed alloys. Zr-12Fe-5Cu had the largest melting temperature (886.3?C) while Zr-12Fe-10Cu had the smallest melting temperature (870?C). The third alloy, Zr-12Fe-15Cu, had a melting point just below that of Zr-12Fe-5Cu at 882.7?C. Light Flash Analysis (LFA) was implemented to determine the low temperature (20-260?C) thermal diffusivity values of each alloy. The as-cast measurements were more precise than the annealed samples, most likely the result of non-ideal sample integrity prior to loading. Each of the three alloys showed a linear increase in thermal diffusivity over the temperature range. Values for Zr-12Fe-5Cu ranged from 3.54 ? 0.06 mm2/s to 4.42 ? 0.10 mm^(2)/s. The Zr-12Fe-10Cu alloy had maximum and minimum values of 4.19 ? 0.22 mm^(2)/s and 3.17 ? 0.16 mm^(2)/s, respectively. Lastly, Zr-12Fe-15Cu had the largest thermal diffusivity ranging from 3.52 ? 0.15 mm^(2)/s at 20?C to 4.64 ? 0.16 mm_(2)/s at 260?C. Overall, the data from the LFA measurements showed that the Zr-Fe-Cu alloy system had similar diffusivity values compared to other common reactor materials.Item Influence of defects on thermal and mechanical properties of metals(2009-05-15) Kamani, Sandeep KumarThe crystallization/freezing and melting phenomena are critical in processing of chemicals and materials. Although melting is a very fundamental problem, the mechanism behind it has not been completely answered satisfactorily. Hence its study becomes very important. Perfect crystals do not exist; therefore it is very important to include the effect of defects in the above mentioned processes. The purpose of this work is to employ molecular simulation to further extend the understanding of theories of melting with respect to defects. We studied the melting and freezing process for a model system of copper with and without defects. We studied point defects (1, 2, 4, 8 vacancies and 1, 2, 4, 8 interstitials), line defects (edge dislocation) and surface defects (grain boundary) using molecular dynamics simulations. Constant stress-constant temperature ensemble with atmospheric pressures is employed. Various properties like average volume, density, potential energy and total energy are obtained as a function of temperature for each system. Most of the properties vary linearly before and after the phase transitions. During the transition process they show a dramatic change. This change is a sign of phase transition. The phase transition temperatures obtained from the single phase simulations are not the true melting (or freezing) points as there is some amount of superheating (or supercooling). Coexistence phase simulations are also done for the case of copper with no defects to find the true melting point. Most of the literature dealing with melting/crystallization on the basis of atomistic simulation does not include the influence of the presence of defects. Thus this work has a bearing on the various theories of melting.