Mechanical Metallurgy Of Nuclear Materials

Mechanical Metallurgy of Nuclear Materials is a review of the mechanical metallurgy of metallic materials primarily in thermal and irradiation conditions and discusses the latest developments on this frontier. The contents contained in the book draws heavily upon the author's own research conducted over the past four decades on various metallic materials, as well as including the current research in the field. In the last six decades, materials for nuclear energy applications have seen unprecedented growth. We have come a long way in understanding alloy design and development that are resistant to aging and degradation effected by thermal, mechanical, environmental, and radiation boundary conditions. This book will detail the mechanical aspects of nuclear materials, including t materials processing, mechanical and fracture properties, and modelling and simulation of mechanical properties. It will conclude with a discussion of plant life management and extension. Provides an extensive evaluation of the mechanical behavior of nuclear materials under different service conditions in a nuclear reactor Includes a discussion of issues and challenges for materials in the past, present, and future for use in nuclear reactors Covers advances in materials for generation IV nuclear reactors

Covering both fundamental and advanced aspects in an accessible way, this textbook begins with an overview of nuclear reactor systems, helping readers to familiarize themselves with the varied designs. Then the readers are introduced to different possibilities for materials applications in the various sections of nuclear energy systems. Materials selection and life prediction methodologies for nuclear reactors are also presented in relation to creep, corrosion and other degradation mechanisms. An appendix compiles useful property data relevant for nuclear reactor applications. Throughout the book, there is a thorough coverage of various materials science principles, such as physical and mechanical metallurgy, defects and diffusion and radiation effects on materials, with serious efforts made to establish structure-property correlations wherever possible. With its emphasis on the latest developments and outstanding problems in the field, this is both a valuable introduction and a ready reference for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Covering both fundamental and advanced aspects in an accessible way, this textbook begins with an overview of nuclear reactor systems, helping readers to familiarize themselves with the varied designs. Then the readers are introduced to different possibilities for materials applications in the various sections of nuclear energy systems. Materials selection and life prediction methodologies for nuclear reactors are also presented in relation to creep, corrosion and other degradation mechanisms. An appendix compiles useful property data relevant for nuclear reactor applications. Throughout the book, there is a thorough coverage of various materials science principles, such as physical and mechanical metallurgy, defects and diffusion and radiation effects on materials, with serious efforts made to establish structure-property correlations wherever possible. With its emphasis on the latest developments and outstanding problems in the field, this is both a valuable introduction and a ready reference for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

The Metallurgy of Nuclear Fuel: Properties and Principles of the Technology of Uranium, Thorium and Plutonium is a systematic analysis of the metallurgy of nuclear fuel, with emphasis on the physical, mechanical, and chemical properties as well as the technology of uranium, thorium, and plutonium, together with their alloys and compounds. The minerals and raw material sources of nuclear fuel are discussed, along with the principles of the technology of the raw material processing and the production of the principal compounds, and of the pure metals and alloys. Comprised of three parts, this volume begins with an introduction to the history of the discovery of uranium and its position in the periodic system; its use as a nuclear fuel; radioactivity and isotopic composition; alloys and compounds; and physical, mechanical, and chemical properties. The effect of mechanical and thermal treatment, thermal cycling and irradiation on the physicochemical properties of uranium is also examined. The next two sections are devoted to thorium and plutonium and includes chapters dealing with their uses, alloys and compounds, and methods of recovery and purification. This book is written for university students, but should also prove useful to young production engineers and scientific workers who are concerned with problems in the metallurgy of nuclear fuel.

In the post-Fukushima world, the stability of materials under extreme conditions is an important issue for the safety of nuclear reactors. Because the nuclear industry is going to continue using advanced zirconium cladding materials in the foreseeable future, it become critical to gain fundamental understanding of the several interconnected problems. First, what are the thermodynamic and kinetic factors affecting the oxidation and hydrogen pick-up by these materials at normal, off-normal conditions, and in long-term storage? Secondly, what protective coatings (if any) could be used in order to gain extremely valuable time at off-normal conditions, e.g., when temperature exceeds the critical value of 2200°F? Thirdly, the kinetics of oxidation of such protective coating or braiding needs to be quantified. Lastly, even if some degree of success is achieved along this path, it is absolutely critical to have automated inspection algorithms allowing identifying defects of cladding as soon as possible. This work strives to explore these interconnected factors from the most advanced computational perspective, utilizing such modern techniques as first-principles atomistic simulations, computational thermodynamics of materials, diffusion modeling, and the morphological algorithms of image processing for defect identification. Consequently, it consists of the four parts dealing with these four problem areas preceded by the introduction and formulation of the studied problems. In the 1st part an effort was made to employ computational thermodynamics and ab initio calculations to shed light upon the different stages of oxidation of ziraloys (2 and 4), the role of microstructure optimization in increasing their thermal stability, and the process of hydrogen pick-up, both in normal working conditions and in long-term storage. The 2nd part deals with the need to understand the influence and respective roles of the two different plasticity mechanisms in Zr nuclear alloys: twinning (at low T) and crystallographic slip (higher T's). For that goal, a description of the advanced plasticity model is outlined featuring the non-associated flow rule in hcp materials including Zr. The 3rd part describes the kinetic theory of oxidation of the several materials considered to be perspective coating materials for Zr alloys: SiC and ZrSiO4. In the 4th part novel and advanced projectional algorithms for defect identification in zircaloy coatings are described. In so doing, the author capitalized on some 12 years of his applied industrial research in this area. Our conclusions and recommendations are presented in the 5th part of this work, along with the list of used literature and the scripts for atomistic, thermodynamic, kinetic, and morphological computations.

Physics and Technology of Nuclear Materials presents basic information regarding the structure, properties, processing methods, and response to irradiation of the key materials that fission and fusion nuclear reactors have to rely upon. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with selectively several fundamentals of nuclear physics. Subsequent chapters focus on the nuclear materials science; nuclear fuel; structural materials; moderator materials employed to ""slow down"" fission neutrons; and neutron highly absorbent materials that serve in reactor's power control. Other chapters explore the cooling agents; fluids carrying the energy to its final stage of conversion into electric power; thermal and biological shielding materials; some outstanding reactor components; and irradiated fuel reprocessing. The last two chapters deal with nuclear material quality inspection by destructive and non-destructive methods, and specific materials envisaged for use in future thermonuclear reactors. This monograph will be helpful for a wide range of specialists wishing to gear their research and development, education, and other activities toward the field of nuclear power and nuclear technology.

Peterson's Graduate Programs in Engineering & Applied Sciences contains a wealth of information on colleges and universities that offer graduate degrees in the fields of Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering; Agricultural Engineering & Bioengineering; Architectural Engineering, Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology; Chemical Engineering; Civil & Environmental Engineering; Computer Science & Information Technology; Electrical & Computer Engineering; Energy & Power engineering; Engineering Design; Engineering Physics; Geological, Mineral/Mining, and Petroleum Engineering; Industrial Engineering; Management of Engineering & Technology; Materials Sciences & Engineering; Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics; Ocean Engineering; Paper & Textile Engineering; and Telecommunications. Up-to-date data, collected through Peterson's Annual Survey of Graduate and Professional Institutions, provides valuable information on degree offerings, professional accreditation, jointly offered degrees, part-time and evening/weekend programs, postbaccalaureate distance degrees, faculty, students, degree requirements, entrance requirements, expenses, financial support, faculty research, and unit head and application contact information. As an added bonus, readers will find a helpful "See Close-Up" link to in-depth program descriptions written by some of these institutions. These Close-Ups offer detailed information about the specific program or department, faculty members and their research, and links to the program Web site. In addition, there are valuable articles on financial assistance and support at the graduate level and the graduate admissions process, with special advice for international and minority students. Another article discusses important facts about accreditation and provides a current list of accrediting agencies.

Collection of selected, peer reviewed papers from the 3rd International Conference on Materials Engineering and Automatic Control (ICMEAC 2014), May 17-18, 2014, Tianjin, China. The 182 papers are grouped as follows: Chapter 1: Advanced Materials Engineering and Materials Processing Technologies, Chapter 2: Mechanical Engineering and Dynamics, Liquids and Gases Mechanics, Applied Mechanics in Technological Processes, Structural Design, Chapter 3: Instrumentation, Measurement and Testing Technologies, Analysis and Calculations Methodology, Chapter 4: Technologies of Power Systems, Energy and Thermal Engineering, Its Applications, Chapter 5: Mechatronics and Robotics, Chapter 6: Control Technologies, Automation and Simulation of Manufacturing, Chapter 7: Data Mining, Detection, Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis Technologies, Chapter 8: Networks and Information Technologies, Systems Design, Chapter 9: Product Design, Planning, Projects Management and Industrial Engineering

In the post-Fukushima world, thermal and structural stability of materials under extreme conditions is an important issue for the safety of nuclear reactors. Because the nuclear industry will continue using zirconium (Zr) cladding for the foreseeable future, it becomes critical to gain a fundamental understanding of several interconnected problems. First, what are the thermodynamic and kinetic factors affecting oxidation and hydrogen pick-up by these materials at normal, off-normal conditions, and in long-term storage? Secondly, what protective coatings could be used in order to gain valuable time at off-normal conditions (temperature exceeds ~1200°C (2200°F)? Thirdly, the kinetics of the coating's oxidation must be understood. Lastly, one needs automated inspection algorithms allowing identifying cladding's defects. This work attempts to explore the problem from a computational perspective, utilizing first principles atomistic simulations, computational thermodynamics, plasticity theory, and morphological algorithms of image processing for defect identification. It consists of the four parts dealing with these four problem areas preceded by the introduction. In the 1st part, computational thermodynamics and ab initio calculations were used to shed light upon the different stages of zircaloy oxidation and hydrogen pickup, and microstructure optimization to increase thermal stability. The 2nd part describes the kinetic theory of oxidation of the several materials considered to be perspective coatings for Zr alloys: SiC and ZrSiO4. The 3rd part deals with understanding the respective roles of the two different plasticity mechanisms in Zr nuclear alloys: twinning (at low T) and crystallographic slip (higher T's). For that goal, an advanced plasticity model was proposed. In the 4th part projectional algorithms for defect identification in zircaloy coatings are described. Conclusions and recommendations are presented in the 5th part. This integrative approach's value is in developing multi-faceted understanding of complex processes taking place in nuclear fuel rods. It helped identify several problems pertaining to the safe operations with nuclear fuel: limits of temperature that should be strictly obeyed in storage to retard zircaloy hydriding; understanding the benefits and limitations of coatings; developing in-depth understanding of Zr plasticity; developing original algorithms for defect identification in SiC-braided zircaloy. The obtained results will be useful for the nuclear industry.

Effects of reactor irradiation at cryogenic temperatures on tensile properties of titanium and titanium-base alloys.

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