Assessing the influence of microstructure on UH3 size distribution via SANS
These results suggest that microstructure can play a potent role in modifying nanoscale UH3 characteristics
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Engineering topics
Boyd, Tasha
Publications and source records attributed to Boyd, Tasha.
Assessing the influence of microstructure on uranium hydride size distributions via small angle neutron scattering
Here, the effect of microstructure on the internal hydriding behavior of both cast (1 mm grain size) and rolled (25 μm grain size) uranium containing hydrogen concentrations between 0 and 1.8 wppm were evaluated via small angle neutron scattering (SANS). Increasing hydrogen content up to 1.8 wppm in the cast uranium only weakly affected the average uranium hydride (UH 3 ) precipitate size, calculated from the SANS data. Conversely, the UH 3 phase fraction was found to strongly depend on the hydrogen content in the same cast samples. A substantially reduced UH 3 particle size distribution was observed in the rolled uranium relative to cast uranium containing the same nominal hydrogen content. It is hypothesized that the suppression of UH 3 formation in the rolled uranium is driven by increased hydrogen trapping at grain boundaries, and theoretical calculations that account for trap density, potency, and hydrogen diffusion kinetics support this hypothesis.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Trichloroethylene replacements for the cleaning of silicone oil used in the internal gelation process
Silicone oil continues to be used as a gelation medium for internal gelation process. Typically, the silicone oil has been removed from the gel spheres using trichloroethylene (TCE) washes. However, TCE is no longer a viable option for large-scale operations because of environmental issues, health concerns, and disposal costs. Furthermore, during the development of a large gelation system at the Y-12 National Security Complex, two new TCE wash replacements were identified. NuSolv SOR-C and FluoSolv WS were used in a number of uranium runs and found to effectively remove silicone oil. NuSolv SOR-C was determined to be the best option.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗