Grant: Alliance Grants

Depending on the application and location, different small modular reactors are proposed to be deployed in Canada. For example, in the province of Ontario, it is decided to deploy the boiling water reactor technology, while very high temperature gas cooled reactors might be used in Alberta for natural resources extraction or low-carbon hydrogen generation. In the core of high temperature gas cooled reactors, TRIstructural-ISOtropic (TRISO) fuel particles are used. TRISO fuels are spherical layered composites comprising of a fuel kernel which is encapsulated within layers of low-density carbon buffer, pyrolytic graphite, and silicon carbide. Amongst other benefits, this design helps ensure the integrity of fuel particles under accidental scenarios. This project focuses on understanding the micromechanics of deformation and fracture of surrogate TRISO fuel particles. A multiscale numerical model and advanced experimental techniques will be developed to characterize the effects of temperature and ion implantation on the mechanical properties of TRISO particles. It is expected that the model and experimental data sets help better understand the effects of thermomechanical loads on the safety and integrity of TRISO fuels.