Embrittlement of Zircaloy Cladding Due to Oxygen Uptake (CBRTTL). [BWR; PWR].

Embrittlement of Zircaloy Cladding Due to Oxygen Uptake (CBRTTL). [BWR; PWR]. PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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A model for embrittlement of zircaloy due to oxygen uptake at high temperatures is described. The model defines limits for oxygen content and temperature which, if exceeded, give rise to zircaloy cladding which is sufficiently embrittled to cause failure either on quenching or normal handling following a transient. A significant feature of this model is that the onset of embrittlement is dependent on the cooling rate. A distinction is made between slow and fast cooling, with the boundary at 100 K/s. The material property correlations and computer subcodes described in MATPRO are developed for use in Light Water Reactor (LWR) codes.

Embrittlement of Zircaloy Cladding Due to Oxygen Uptake (CBRTTL). [BWR; PWR].

Embrittlement of Zircaloy Cladding Due to Oxygen Uptake (CBRTTL). [BWR; PWR]. PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
A model for embrittlement of zircaloy due to oxygen uptake at high temperatures is described. The model defines limits for oxygen content and temperature which, if exceeded, give rise to zircaloy cladding which is sufficiently embrittled to cause failure either on quenching or normal handling following a transient. A significant feature of this model is that the onset of embrittlement is dependent on the cooling rate. A distinction is made between slow and fast cooling, with the boundary at 100 K/s. The material property correlations and computer subcodes described in MATPRO are developed for use in Light Water Reactor (LWR) codes.

Energy Research Abstracts

Energy Research Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Power resources
Languages : en
Pages : 1180

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INIS Atomindex

INIS Atomindex PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Nuclear energy
Languages : en
Pages : 1440

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Estimation of Conservatism of Present Embrittlement Criteria for Zircaloy Fuel Cladding Under LOCA

Estimation of Conservatism of Present Embrittlement Criteria for Zircaloy Fuel Cladding Under LOCA PDF Author: T. Furuta
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Alloys
Languages : en
Pages : 13

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To estimate the degree of conservatism of the present embrittlement criteria, the following examinations have been conducted. Zircaloy-4 tubes were oxidized at temperatures ranging from 1173 to 1573 K, and then compressed at 373 K to determine the embrittlement due to oxygen absorption. The simulated Zircaloy-clad fuel rods were burst and oxidized in steam at temperatures within the range 1200 to 1500 K. The segment sectioned from each burst cladding was also compressed to determine the effect of hydrogen absorption on cladding embrittlement. The results obtained from these experiments have revealed that the additional embrittlement due to hydrogen absorption is found to be significant in burst cladding.

Government Reports Announcements & Index

Government Reports Announcements & Index PDF Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 944

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Structure of High-burnup-fuel Zircaloy Cladding. [PWR ; BWR].

Structure of High-burnup-fuel Zircaloy Cladding. [PWR ; BWR]. PDF Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Zircaloy cladding from high-burnup (> 20 MWd/kg U) fuel rods in light-water reactors is characterized by a high density of irradiation-induced defects (RID), compositional changes (e.g., oxygen and hydrogen uptake) associated with in-service corrosion, and geometrical changes produced by creepdown, bowing, and irradiation-induced growth. During a reactor power transient, the cladding is subject to localized stress imposed by thermal expansion of the cracked fuel pellets and to mechanical constraints imposed by pellet-cladding friction. As part of a program to provide a better understanding of brittle-type failure of Zircaloy fuel cladding by pellet-cladding interaction (PCI) phenomenon, the stress-rupture properties and microstructural characteristics of high-burnup spent fuel cladding have been under investigation. This paper reports the results of the microstructural examinations by optical microscopy, scanning (SEM), 100-keV transmission (TEM), and 1 MeV high-voltage (HVEM) electron microscopies of the fractured spent fuel cladding with a specific empahsis on a correlation of the structural characteristics with the fracture behavior.

A Proposed Criterion for the Oxygen Embrittlement of Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding

A Proposed Criterion for the Oxygen Embrittlement of Zircaloy-4 Fuel Cladding PDF Author: A. Sawatzky
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Embrittlement
Languages : en
Pages : 18

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Book Description
Under the condition postulated for a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), Zircaloy-4 fuel cladding may experience a temperature transient during which it absorbs an appreciable amount of oxygen from the coolant. Theoretical models for predicting cladding behavior during loss-of-coolant (LOC) are being developed, but until the failure mechanisms can be clearly established, an empirical criterion must be employed.

Oxidation of Zircaloy Fuel Cladding in Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactors

Oxidation of Zircaloy Fuel Cladding in Water-Cooled Nuclear Reactors PDF Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Our work involved the continued development of the theory of passivity and passivity breakdown, in the form of the Point Defect Model, with emphasis on zirconium and zirconium alloys in reactor coolant environments, the measurement of critically-important parameters, and the development of a code that can be used by reactor operators to actively manage the accumulation of corrosion damage to the fuel cladding and other components in the heat transport circuits in both BWRs and PWRs. In addition, the modified boiling crevice model has been further developed to describe the accumulation of solutes in porous deposits (CRUD) on fuel under boiling (BWRs) and nucleate boiling (PWRs) conditions, in order to accurately describe the environment that is contact with the Zircaloy cladding. In the current report, we have derived expressions for the total steady-state current density and the partial anodic and cathodic current densities to establish a deterministic basis for describing Zircaloy oxidation. The models are "deterministic" because the relevant natural laws are satisfied explicitly, most importantly the conversation of mass and charge and the equivalence of mass and charge (Faraday's law). Cathodic reactions (oxygen reduction and hydrogen evolution) are also included in the models, because there is evidence that they control the rate of the overall passive film formation process. Under open circuit conditions, the cathodic reactions, which must occur at the same rate as the zirconium oxidation reaction, are instrumental in determining the corrosion potential and hence the thickness of the barrier and outer layers of the passive film. Controlled hydrodynamic methods have been used to measure important parameters in the modified Point Defect Model (PDM), which is now being used to describe the growth and breakdown of the passive film on zirconium and on Zircaloy fuel sheathing in BWRs and PWRs coolant environments. The modified PDMs recognize the existence of a thick oxide outer layer over a thin barrier layer. From thermodynamic analysis, it is postulated that a hydride barrier layer forms under PWR coolant conditions whereas an oxide barrier layer forms under BWR primary coolant conditions. Thus, the introduction of hydrogen into the solution lowers the corrosion potential of zirconium to the extent that the formation of ZrH2 is predicted to be spontaneous rather than the ZrO2. Mott-Schottky analysis shows that the passive film formed on zirconium is n-type, which is consistent with the PDM, corresponding to a preponderance of oxygen/hydrogen vacancies and/or zirconium interstitials in the barrier layer. The model parameter values were extracted from electrochemical impedance spectroscopic data for zirconium in high temperature, de-aerated and hydrogenated environments by optimization. The results indicate that the corrosion resistance of zirconium is dominated by the porosity and thickness of the outer layer for both cases. The impedance model based on the PDM provides a good account of the growth of the bi-layer passive films described above, and the extracted model parameter values might be used, for example, for predicting the accumulation of general corrosion damage to Zircaloy fuel sheath in BWR and PWR operating environments. Transients in current density and film thickness for passive film formation on zirconium in dearated and hydrogenated coolant conditions have confirmed that the rate law afforded by the Point Defect Model (PDM) adequately describes the growth and thinning of the passive film. The experimental results demonstrate that the kinetics of oxygen or hydrogen vacancy generation at the metal/film interface control the rate of film growth, when the potential is displaced in the positive direction, whereas the kinetics of dissolution of the barrier layer at the barrier layer/solution interface control the rate of passive film thinning when the potential is stepped in the negative direction. In addition, the ...

Development of an Oxygen Embrittlement Criterion for Zircaloy Cladding Applicable to Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions in Light-Water Reactors

Development of an Oxygen Embrittlement Criterion for Zircaloy Cladding Applicable to Loss-of-Coolant Accident Conditions in Light-Water Reactors PDF Author: HM. Chung
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Deformation
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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To establish the mechanical response of Zircaloy cladding under thermal shock conditions typical of hypothetical loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) situations in light-water reactors (LWRs), cladding specimens were ruptured in steam during transient heating (10 K/s), oxidized at maximum temperatures between 1140 and 1770 K for various times, and cooled from the isothermal oxidation temperature to ~1100 K at a rate of 5 K/s, and rapidly quenched by bottom flooding with water at a rate of ~0.05 m/s. Failure "maps" for fracture of the cladding by thermal shock were developed relative to the maximum oxidation temperature and various time-dependent oxidation parameters. In situ pendulum-load impact tests were conducted at room temperature on tubes that survived the thermal quench. Information on the total absorbed energy from these tests was correlated with more extensive results from instrumented drop-weight impact tests. The thermal shock results indicate that the present Zircaloy embrittlement criterion (that is, a total oxidation limit of 17 percent of the wall thickness and a maximum cladding temperature of 1477 K) is conservative and that a more quantitative criterion, based upon the mechanical behavior of the oxidized material, can be formulated with a specified degree of conservatism consistent with the mechanical loads imposed on the cladding during reflood and the maximum amount of oxidation set by the margin of performance of emergency core-cooling systems in LWRs.

Embrittlement of Zircaloy-Clad Fuel Rods Irradiated Under Film Boiling Conditions

Embrittlement of Zircaloy-Clad Fuel Rods Irradiated Under Film Boiling Conditions PDF Author: RR. Hobbins
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ISBN:
Category : Cladding
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Pressurized water reactor type fuel rods are being irradiated under postulated accident conditions in the Power Burst Facility at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory as part of the Thermal Fuels Behavior Program. In these tests, film boiling was achieved by establishing a mismatch reactor power and coolant flow, while maintaining the coolant pressure at 15 MPa.