CX-270253: Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) University of Central Florida Experiment

Understanding depleted uranium (DU)-Zr and DU-Mo based metallic fuel behavior with low fluence irradiation testing is needed. The purpose of the proposed action is to obtain the needed data for low fluences of metallic fuels. The proposed action focuses on low fluence irradiations utilizing the Hydraulic Shuttle Irradiation System (HSIS) and a small B position within the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). It is known that the changes that lead to fuel degradation start at very low burn-up (e.g., <0.9%). The proposed action would examine changes in metallic fuels from low fluence, including defect formation, fission product nucleation, constituent redistribution and microstructural degradation. Three fluences (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 dpa) and seven temperatures (ranging from 150° to 800°C) would be explored with various exposure times. Fuel for the proposed action would be manufactured from DOE-owned depleted uranium.