Abstract Dense Cr-doped U3Si2 composite fuels were manufactured by spark plasma sintering, and the effects of Cr addition on mechanical properties and oxidation resistance were investigated. Dynamic oxidation testing by thermogravimetric analysis revealed significantly improved oxidation resistance of U3Si2 with minimal doping of 3 wt% Cr. The onset oxidation temperature increased to above 550 °C in air and ∼520 °C in steam conditions for the 5 wt% and 10 wt% Cr-doped composites. Steam corrosion testing under 360 °C for 24 hours indicated well-maintained pellet integrity without pulverization for the 10 wt% Cr-doped U3Si2 pellet which only showed minor surface oxidation. The first promising results open up the possibility of designing and manufacturing metal additive-doped U3Si2 composite fuels with significantly-improved corrosion resistance as a potential candidate for accident tolerant fuels.

中文翻译：

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蒸汽腐蚀下Cr掺杂的U3Si2复合燃料

摘要 采用放电等离子烧结法制备了浓Cr掺杂U3Si2复合燃料，研究了Cr添加对力学性能和抗氧化性能的影响。通过热重分析进行的动态氧化测试表明，U3Si2 的抗氧化性显着提高，且 Cr 的最低掺杂量为 3 wt%。对于 5 wt% 和 10 wt% Cr 掺杂的复合材料，开始氧化温度在空气中增加到 550°C 以上，在蒸汽条件下增加到 520°C。在 360 °C 下进行 24 小时的蒸汽腐蚀测试表明，对于仅显示轻微表面氧化的 10 wt% Cr 掺杂 U3Si2 颗粒，颗粒完整性保持良好，没有粉化。