b'Demonstrate ViabilityExpanding the Fission Accelerated Steady-state Testing approach of Accelerated Fuelto uranium carbide fuel qualification can drastically reduce Qualification Approaches the time and effort for nuclear fuel qualification.T he two leading contenders in accelerated fuel system qualification are INLs Fission Accelerated Steady-state Testing (FAST) and General Atomics and Oak Ridge National Laboratorys Accelerated Fuel Qualification. Accelerated Fuel Qualification starts small, irradiating large numbers of spherical fuel particles under diverse conditions to develop inputs for mechanistic fuel behavior models. The FAST approach irradiates a sizable number PROJECT NUMBER:of scaled down integral fuel pins to accelerate burn up by a factor of up to ten and 20A44-036 is more suited for characterizing fuel performance at engineering-relevant length TOTAL APPROVED AMOUNT:scales. These two approaches, while sufficiently differentiated to stand on their $1,299,745 over 3 years own, are highly synergistic. This presents an opportunity to demonstrate how the combined use of both approaches offers benefits that exceed either individually PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:and how to use the best attributes of both concepts. Seongtae Kwon This research intended to test the hypothesis that fuel qualification is accelerated CO-INVESTIGATORS: using the FAST approach. The approach is prototypic in some respects (e.g., peak Adrian Wagner, INL temperature is maintained) but non-prototypic in others (e.g., temperature gradient Christopher Turner, INL is different). This project produced test articles for a ceramic fuel system that, based Geoffrey Beausoleil, INL on analyses and specimen design conducted, provided data to demonstrate the COLLABORATOR: viability of the approach for a range of fuel forms. General AtomicsThe fabrication process of uranium carbide fuel was developed and neutronic, thermal, and hydraulic analysis was conducted for FAST. The results provide the basis of expanding FAST as an efficient platform to broad nuclear fuels.Fabricated uranium carbide pellets with 95% sintered density and schematic of test capsule assembly with fabricated fuel (left) and x-ray diffraction pattens of ingot and sintered pellets demonstrating phase pure uranium carbide phase.18'