Intermetallic Fuel Performance Modeling and Simulation

This article describes the methodology used for the performance analysis of research and test reactor (RTR) fuels. Empirical and mechanistic models of the irradiation behaviors of three types of RTR fuels (U–Al, U–Si, and U–Mo) are presented. These analytical models have been developed based on up-to-date understandings of the complex phenomena occurring in fuels during irradiation, such as fuel-Al interaction, irradiation-induced fuel swelling, and thermal property degradation. The applicability and limitations of the models are discussed. The code structures of two comprehensive RTR fuel performance codes, DART and MAIA, are described to exemplify integrated simulation of RTR fuel behavior. The validation results of these two codes are demonstrated as well.