Restructuring in high burn-up pressurized water reactor UO₂ fuel central parts: Experimental 3D characterization by focused ion beam—scanning electron microscopy

Focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy for 3D materials characterization

In this article, we review focused ion beam serial sectioning microscopy paired with analytical techniques, such as electron backscatter diffraction or x-ray energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, to study materials chemistry and structure in three dimensions. These three-dimensional microanalytical approaches have been greatly extended due to advances in software for both microscope control and...

Pressurized Water Reactor Modelling with Modelica

In order to optimize and validate the design and the operation of its nuclear power plants facilities, EDF (Electricité de France) uses a proprietary tool called LEDA to perform static and dynamic simulation at the system level. EDF wishes to replace LEDA by state-of-the-art off-the-shelf tools, mainly to reduce maintenance cost while keeping up with the latest trend in modeling and simulation ...

Feed Water Line Cracking in Pressurized Water Reactor Plants

Focused ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy characterization of polymer+metal hybrids

Hybrid materials were prepared by mixing commercial polymers with micrometric metal powders. The polymer matrix used was low density polyethylene (LDPE). We have used aluminum spheres with the average diameter of 1 μm. The particle concentration in the matrix was varied from 0.5 wt.% to 10 wt.%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the particle dispersion on the surfaces o...

Visualizing the 3D Architecture of Multiple Erythrocytes Infected with Plasmodium at Nanoscale by Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy

Different methods for three-dimensional visualization of biological structures have been developed and extensively applied by different research groups. In the field of electron microscopy, a new technique that has emerged is the use of a focused ion beam and scanning electron microscopy for 3D reconstruction at nanoscale resolution. The higher extent of volume that can be reconstructed with th...