UW Ion Beam Laboratory receives NSUF Super RTE for advanced fuel performance research 

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Ion Beam Laboratory (IBL) was awarded a Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) Super RTE in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop and qualify the performance of advanced nuclear fuels. Department of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics researchers Professor Adrien Couet and Assistant Professor Charles Hirst are collaborators on the project, which will utilize the IBL’s proton irradiation capabilities.   

As nuclear reactor designs continue to advance, fuel performance evaluation must advance alongside them. Traditional evaluation methods rely on empirical approaches that lack predictive capability for new, advanced reactor environments. While modern fuel performance codes have improved, a critical gap remains in the understanding of fuel performance at the fuel-cladding interface—the boundary between nuclear fuel and its protective cladding. 

Currently, there are no sufficient models of fuel-cladding chemical interaction due to the challenge of independently evaluating thermal and irradiation effects in the region. High-throughput ion beam irradiation facilities like the IBL are enabling researchers to address this gap. 

Ion beams can simulate the neutron damage that occurs in reactor environments, enabling controlled experiments to test the separate and combined effects of temperature, irradiation, and thermal gradients on material samples. 

Data generated from this project will yield a validated, physics-based model of chemical interactions at the fuel-cladding interface. This model will be integrated into advanced fuel performance codes, improving predictive accuracy for next-generation reactors. 

With capabilities such as in-situ molten salt corrosion irradiation, high-throughput heavy ion irradiation, and in-situ ion irradiation mechanical testing, the IBL serves as a key NSUF partner facility, delivering information-rich studies of material behavior in advanced fission and fusion systems.