Mohamed AbdulHameed , Benjamin Beeler , Conor O.T. Galvin , Michael W.D. Cooper
{"title":"Assessment of uranium nitride interatomic potentials","authors":"Mohamed AbdulHameed , Benjamin Beeler , Conor O.T. Galvin , Michael W.D. Cooper","doi":"10.1016/j.jnucmat.2024.155247","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Uranium mononitride (UN) is a promising nuclear fuel due to its high fissile density, high thermal conductivity, and suitability for reprocessing. In this study, two uranium nitride interatomic potentials are assessed: Tseplyaev and Starikov's angular-dependent potential and Kocevski et al.'s embedded atom model potential. Predictions of the thermophysical and elastic properties of UN, <figure><img></figure>, and <em>α</em>- and <em>β</em>-<figure><img></figure> computed using both potentials are assessed and compared to available experimental data. The Tseplyaev potential performs better with the energetic aspects of UN, e.g., specific heat capacity and point defect formation energies, whereas the Kocevski potential performs better with the structural aspects of UN, e.g., thermal expansion as well as with the elastic properties. The reasons why the Kocevski potential underestimates the UN specific heat are explained by examining the UN phonon properties modeled using both potentials. The Kocevski potential shows better identification of the mechanical stability ranges of UN, <figure><img></figure>, and <em>α</em>- and <em>β</em>-<figure><img></figure>, reasonably predicting the melting point of UN and predicting stable structures for <figure><img></figure> and <em>α</em>- and <em>β</em>-<figure><img></figure>. On the other hand, the Tseplyaev potential predicts a premature phase change of both UN and <figure><img></figure> and cannot stabilize <em>α</em>- nor <em>β</em>-<figure><img></figure>. However, the Kocevski potential cannot predict a stable <em>α</em>-U phase and is thus not suitable for the calculation of formation energies for non-stoichiometric point defects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":373,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nuclear Materials","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022311524003490","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Uranium mononitride (UN) is a promising nuclear fuel due to its high fissile density, high thermal conductivity, and suitability for reprocessing. In this study, two uranium nitride interatomic potentials are assessed: Tseplyaev and Starikov's angular-dependent potential and Kocevski et al.'s embedded atom model potential. Predictions of the thermophysical and elastic properties of UN, , and α- and β- computed using both potentials are assessed and compared to available experimental data. The Tseplyaev potential performs better with the energetic aspects of UN, e.g., specific heat capacity and point defect formation energies, whereas the Kocevski potential performs better with the structural aspects of UN, e.g., thermal expansion as well as with the elastic properties. The reasons why the Kocevski potential underestimates the UN specific heat are explained by examining the UN phonon properties modeled using both potentials. The Kocevski potential shows better identification of the mechanical stability ranges of UN, , and α- and β-, reasonably predicting the melting point of UN and predicting stable structures for and α- and β-. On the other hand, the Tseplyaev potential predicts a premature phase change of both UN and and cannot stabilize α- nor β-. However, the Kocevski potential cannot predict a stable α-U phase and is thus not suitable for the calculation of formation energies for non-stoichiometric point defects.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Nuclear Materials publishes high quality papers in materials research for nuclear applications, primarily fission reactors, fusion reactors, and similar environments including radiation areas of charged particle accelerators. Both original research and critical review papers covering experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects of either fundamental or applied nature are welcome.
The breadth of the field is such that a wide range of processes and properties in the field of materials science and engineering is of interest to the readership, spanning atom-scale processes, microstructures, thermodynamics, mechanical properties, physical properties, and corrosion, for example.
Topics covered by JNM
Fission reactor materials, including fuels, cladding, core structures, pressure vessels, coolant interactions with materials, moderator and control components, fission product behavior.
Materials aspects of the entire fuel cycle.
Materials aspects of the actinides and their compounds.
Performance of nuclear waste materials; materials aspects of the immobilization of wastes.
Fusion reactor materials, including first walls, blankets, insulators and magnets.
Neutron and charged particle radiation effects in materials, including defects, transmutations, microstructures, phase changes and macroscopic properties.
Interaction of plasmas, ion beams, electron beams and electromagnetic radiation with materials relevant to nuclear systems.