James Torres1,2,Alexander Long2,Dale Carver2,Sven Vogel2,Aditya Shivprasad2,Tyler Smith2,Caitlin Kohnert2,Erik Luther2,Holly Trellue2
Oak Ridge National Laboratory1,Los Alamos National Laboratory2
James Torres1,2,Alexander Long2,Dale Carver2,Sven Vogel2,Aditya Shivprasad2,Tyler Smith2,Caitlin Kohnert2,Erik Luther2,Holly Trellue2
Oak Ridge National Laboratory1,Los Alamos National Laboratory2
A compact, nuclear microreactor that utilizes low-enriched uranium fuel is a promising solution to meet US demands in remote and decentralized energy grids. Yttrium hydride (YH) is the candidate moderator material for the microreactor design, chosen based on its superior retention of hydrogen at high temperatures. Hydrogen diffusion properties in YH are highly sought after for computer model validation and reactor prototyping. To meet design objectives, the so-called compact dual-zone furnace was developed at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) with the goal of characterizing hydrogen diffusion in YH samples as a function of applied temperature gradients. Herein, we share our recent progress in technique and hardware developments and include initial results from recent concentration- and temperature-gradient measurements at LANSCE.[i]<br/>[i] LA-UR-22-22241