Manuel Alexandre Pouchon

Researcher in experimental and theoretical materials science, specializing in the development of nuclear fuels since 1997, and structural materials for nuclear reactors since 2004. Presently leading nuclear materials lab (LNM) and the advanced nuclear materials (ANM) group and programme at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland. The applicability of different material candidates in advanced nuclear reactors is researched. Especially different aspects of radiation damage are investigated. For this purpose the concept of sample miniaturization is applied and further developed. Recently leading a new activity in particle fuel production and application. Previously working for the FUJI project at PSI, where different nuclear fuel forms for fast reactors were produced, characterized and finally irradiated in reactor. This work was performed in collaboration with the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) and Nuclear Research & consultancy Group (NRG) in the Netherlands. Previously an International Fellow at JNC investigating the thermal conductivity, sintering behaviour, and mechanical interaction of ceramic-sphere fuel beds; this includes the use of finite element methods for simulating various behaviours. Previously at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and for the Inert Matrix Fuel Project for burning plutonium in light water reactors, investigating the thermal conductivity and the diffusion and solubility of fission products of a zirconia-based non-fertile matrix.

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Nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines. Heat is created when nuclear fuel undergoes nuclear fission. Most nuclear fuels contain heavy fissile act

Thermal conductivity

The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa. Heat transfer occurs at a

Nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle, also called nuclear fuel chain, is the progression of nuclear fuel through a series of differing stages. It consists of steps in the front end, which are the preparation of th

Simulation of the microfluidic mixing and the droplet generation for 3D printing of nuclear fuels

Manuel Alexandre Pouchon

This paper presents the computational fluid dynamics modeling of an additive manufacturing process that is candidate for the production of Gen IV nuclear reactor fuels. The modeled process combines the internal gelation to produce metal hydrous oxides with the 3D ceramic printing to create a green body from these gelled oxides as described by Pouchon (2016). The objective of the simulations is to optimize the process parameters: microfluidic mixing of the internal gelation reagents and generation of droplets of the mixed solutions. The simulations were performed using the OpenFOAM software, and to perform these simulations with the correct solution parameters, the properties of the fluids of interest were measured. The results show that a thorough mixing of the metal solution and the methenamine and urea mixture in a microfluidic mixer can be achieved in tens of milliseconds by either winding the mixing channel to create secondary flows or splitting the solutions inlets to yield additional diffusion interfaces. The optimal droplet size is achieved by using a mechanically vibrating 3D printing head that leads to a frequency-following Rayleigh instability. The results of the simulations suggest the parameters (micromixer geometry, flow rate, vibration frequency and others) that will optimize the mixing efficiency in a microfluidic mixer and the droplet generation process from a 3D printing head.

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV2019

In this document a novel nuclear fuel production method is suggested. It combines previously developed approaches and improvements of the internal gelation process, which was used over decades to produce sphere-pac fuel for minor actinide transmutation. And modern 3D printing of ceramics. The improvements to the internal gelation, which were developed in two CCEM.CH projects in the recent years comprise the two following aspects • Change of the heating media from silicon oil to microwave fields • Application of in-situ preparation of the feed solution, with the sparing of any need in cooling The internal gelation together with these improvements can be used to implement a new 3D printing technique for ceramics, and especially nuclear fuels, with the following advantages: • Almost powder-less process up to the formation of the fuel body in complex shapes • Any local composition change in metal or enrichment can be achieved • Pore-formers can be introduced locally, allowing the formation of buffer regions/layers

Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)2016

During the last two decades, silicon carbide based ceramic composites (SiC/SiC) have become a candidate material for nuclear fuel cladding, first for advanced nuclear systems, such as the GFR, and recently also as potential replacement material for nuclear fuel cladding in light water reactors. This work is contributing to the General Atomics/Westinghouse led CARAT project. In this frame, the thermal conductivity (TC) of cladding prototype sections are measured both before and after neutron irradiation with the purpose of better understanding the effects of neutron irradiation on the pyrolytic carbon interphase linking the SiC fibres to the SiC matrix.

American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)2016

MSE-600: Effects of radiation on materials

The purpose of this course is to provide the necessary background to understand the effects of irradiation on pure metals and on alloys used in the nuclear industry. The relation between the radiation-induced defects and the evolution of the mechanical properties is highlighted.

MSE-672: LNM Workshop 2023

Seminar for PhD/master-students and postdocs on experimental nuclear materials research and simulation for present and future nuclear systems, with some emphasis on advanced manufacturing and analytics. In a group project the students will work on and present scientific and framing aspects.