Thermodynamic data is essential for nuclear fuel studies related to reactor safety improvements, lifetime extension of Generation II and III reactors and the design of advanced Generation IV systems. In view of this, the NEA Thermodynamics of Advanced Fuels - International Database (TAF-ID) Project was established in 2013 to provide a comprehensive, internationally recognised and quality-assured database of phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties of advanced nuclear fuels to meet the specialised requirements of the development of advanced fuels for future generations of nuclear reactors.
The project is currently in its second phase, which continues the development of the database by introducing models for missing binary and/or ternary systems. The following systems were recently modelled and added to the working version of the TAF-ID database, which is currently accessible only to project signatories: Si-Ni, Al-Ni, Al-B, Y-U, Eu-U, Eu-O, B-C-Ni, B-C-Cr, Mo-O, Th-O, Th-U, Th-U-O. A public version containing a limited amount of data that has already been published in the open literature is available here.
The TAF-ID Project is also organising its first training course on how to use the TAF-ID database with Thermo-Calc software and the JRC Molten Salt Database (JRCMSDB) with FactSage software. The course is open to graduate students, young researchers or any other scientists from TAF-ID project participants who are interested in developing their competencies in computational thermodynamics based on CALPHAD modelling. The scope of the course focuses on systems of interest for nuclear applications, with an emphasis on fuel systems and their interactions with surrounding materials. The training course will be held on 8-12 March 2021. For more information and to participate, please contact the TAF-ID Secretariat.