Diffusion Processes in Nuclear Materials

Diffusion phenomena have played an important role for material scientists in improving products in a variety of fields. An ever widening number of diffusion limited processes have found their way into development, fabrication and irradiation of nuclear materials in controlling grain growth, recrystallisation, sintering, creep, etc. This volume gives a comprehensive overview on the various diffusion processes involved in nuclear materials, whether they are operative in fissionable or fissile nuclear fuels or in the prospective fuels or clads under passive or reactor operating conditions. Unless this information is well understood, it is not possible to develop or fabricate these fuels to withstand the vagaries of temperature, its gradient or changes in stoichiometry. The role of defects and impurities in controlling diffusion processes in nuclear materials is of immense importance and requires its proper evaluation. On irradiation, under the reactor operating conditions, nuclear fuels undergo fission gas release resulting in precipitation into bubbles, or their venting, or radiation induced re-solution, the effects of this irradiation are also examined in depth. The work will be of value to all those interested in getting a clearer insight into the different mechanisms of diffusion, the latest techniques of studying diffusion phenomena, the effect of some of the constraints such as impurities (chemical doping or fission product build up), and temperature and stoichiometry changes.Agarwala, R. P. is the author of 'Diffusion Processes in Nuclear Materials', published 1992 under ISBN 9780444891464 and ISBN 0444891463.