Progress of enhanced conductivity fuels using UO2-graphene

Abstract

Uranium dioxide (UO2) is the most used fuel in light water reactors. At present, a sizable cumulative experience exists regarding the use of UO2 as a fuel. However, UO2 has reduced thermal conductivity Experiments shown that adding a second phase with higher thermal conductivity will improve the thermal conductivity of mixed fuel. Materials such as MO and BeO dispersed in the UO2 matrix attract the most attention. Graphene has excellent thermal conductivity and a low absorption cross-section. Metallurgic routes used in UO2–carbon composites use the spark plasma sintering method. Thus, analyze the behavior of graphene nanoparticles dispersed in a uranium dioxide matrix, simulated with FRAPCON code. Early experiments revealed that using UO2–10 vol.% silicon carbide improved the thermal conductivity by 30%. Graphene properties have a substantial impact on the thermal response of the fuel. In extension, carbon allotropic forms sintered with UO2 are potential options like UO2-diamond and UO2-nanotubes.