Abstract
Thermal transport in materials used for energy applications is a physical process directly tied to performance and reliability. As a result, a great deal of effort has been devoted to understanding thermal transport in materials whose ability to conduct heat is critical. Here, our objective is to discuss the utility of laser-based thermoreflectance (TR) approaches that provide microscale measurement of thermal transport. We provide several examples that implement the TR technique to investigate thermal transport in materials used in nuclear energy applications. First, we discuss utility of this technique to measure thermal conductivity in ion irradiated ceramic materials during investigations where the primary objective is to understand the impact of radiation induced crystalline structure defects on thermal transport. We also present the capability of TR approach to resolve thermal conductivity of each layer in tristructural isotropic fuel, silicon carbide fiber composites, and 2nd phase precipitates in uranium silicide. Finally, the ability to measure interface thermal resistance between adjacent layers in composites is demonstrated.
Highlights
Safe and economic utilization of nuclear energy relies on accurate temperature control of various components within the reactor
At Idaho National Laboratory (INL), he performed research aimed at understanding the impact of radiation damage on thermal transport in ceramic materials and was involved with development of laser based methods for characterization of material’s physical properties
The objective of this paper is to summarize our studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of thermal transport in ceramic materials used for nuclear energy applications
Summary
Safe and economic utilization of nuclear energy relies on accurate temperature control of various components within the reactor. The primary function of nuclear fuel in fission reactors is to provide fissile atoms that upon absorption of a neutron generate energy.[1] The thermal energy liberated after the fission process must be transferred to the coolant and eventually transformed into electricity using turbines.[3] At the same time, fuel is expected to retain highly radioactive fission products The latter constitute a primary environmental hazard if released to the surrounding area. Khafizov et al.: Investigation of thermal transport in composites and ion beam irradiated materials for nuclear energy applications Meeting all of these requirements is difficult considering the dramatic structural and chemical changes taking place within the fuel.[4,5]. Each example is accompanied by a discussion illustrating the importance of understanding thermal transport
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