Prediction of irradiation behavior of HTGR fuel particle coatings by structural characterization of LTI pyrocarbons

In order to retain the fission products within the coated fuel particles, the coatings which act as fission product barrier have to remain mechanically intact during irradiation. As the mechanical stability of well designed pyrocarbon (PyC) coatings is mainly governed by their microstructure, this paper discusses the influence of PyC microstructure on the irradiation performance of the coatings.