Publications
Showing 24 results for Author: Alicia M. Raftery
Sep, 2026
ORNL Report
Surrogate Process Development for Coated Particle Burnable Absorber Fuel Pellets
Aug, 2026
Journal
Quantitative measurement of pebble fuel anisotropy using generalized ellipsometry
The renewed development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors has created a need to modernize pebble fuel quality control methods. One important specification in these methods is the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) anisotropy, which reflects graphite grain alignment and affects fuel performance. This study investigates the feasibility of using two-modulator genera…
Aug, 2025
Journal
A machine learning approach to quantify degradation of nuclear fuels and the effects of fission products
Nuclear fuel performance is critically dependent on understanding the evolution of fuel properties under operational conditions, a complex challenge driven by chemical changes and substantial radiation damage during fission. Traditionally, property evolution has been determined via empirical data collected following irradiation. However, these empirical correlations are li…
Dec, 2023
Journal
Separate effects irradiation testing of miniature fuel specimens
Qualification of new nuclear fuels is necessary for their deployment and requires a thorough understanding of fuel behavior under irradiation. Traditionally, nuclear fuels have been qualified by performing exhaustive integral tests under a limited range of prototypic conditions designed for their specific reactor application. While some integral fuel testing is essential,…
Nov, 2023
Journal
Properties and microstructure evolution of silicon nitride and zirconium nitride following Ni ion irradiation
Silicon nitride and zirconium nitride have been proposed as potential materials for multiple nuclear applications (inert matrix fuels, accident tolerant fuels, space nuclear power, fusion reactor design), yet knowledge on their behavior under irradiation remains limited. Ion irradiations were performed using 15 MeV Ni5+ ions on Si3N4 and ZrN samples, with midrange doses (a…
Nov, 2023
Journal
Fabrication of UN-Mo CERMET Nuclear Fuel Using Advanced Manufacturing Techniques
Ceramic-metallic nuclear fuels are a candidate fuel for nuclear thermal propulsion systems due to their high heat transport properties, which are necessary in very high-temperature environments. The conventional fabrication of uranium nitride–molybdenum fuel has been thoroughly studied in the past, but modern manufacturing techniques have presented a unique opportunity for…