Title: 3D continuum percolation approach and its application to lava-like fuel-containing materials behaviour forecast
Author(s):

V.O. Zhydkov (Institute for NPP Safety Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine)

The paper is devoted to the theoretical study of elementary permeable objects percolation and its application to real physical objects. Spheres and isotropic oriented capped sticks were chosen as elementary geometrical objects for percolation simulation, physically adequate for radiation defects behaviour description in brittle dielectrics, particularly in the so-called Lava-like Fuel Containing Materials (LFCM), where it effects their mechanical steadiness. LFCMs is high-radioactive glass, which was formed during active stage of well-known heavy nuclear accident, that occurred at Chornobyl nuclear facility in 1986. Physical processes taking place in the materials are of great practical interest. Furthermore, when applying percolation models to LFCM objects, an approximate behaviour forecast can be created. From the results of simulation, it appears that physical properties of the LFCM should drastically change within in the period of 2015÷2045 calendar years, depending on variations in nuclear fuel content.

Key words: continuum percolation, irradiated nuclear fuel, radiation damages
PACS: 64.60.Ak, 78.70.-g
Comments: Figs. 9, Refs. 19, Tabs. 0

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