Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy

Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy PDF Author: J. A. Horak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Irradiation
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
Twelve 0.22-in.-diameter fuel specimens containing a longitudinal central vent and clad with 0.010 in. of Type 304 stainless steel were irradiated to evaluate the effect of restraint and a central vent on fuel element stability. The cladding of 10 of the specimens contained porous end plugs to vent any released fission gas and thus to minimize the buildup of gas pressure within the stainless steel cladding. The specimens consisted of a 20% enriched uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy core surrounded by a natural uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy sleeve. Eight of the specimens were irradiated to burnups of the enriched core of 6.9 to 12.8% of all atoms (1.2 to 2.2 at.% of the duplex assembly) at maximum fuel temperatures ranging from 280 to 760 deg C. Most of the clad specimens exhibited negligible volume increases as a result of irradiation. Two specimens containing central vents but unclad were irradiated together with the clad specimens in an attempt to differentiate between the effects due to a central vent and the effects due to cladding. The central vent in itself did not appear to reduce the swelling characteristics of the alloy. Mechanical restraint appeared to have extended the useful operating temperatures of the metallic fuel alloy by at least 200 deg C and also greatly extended the burnup levels to which the fuel could be irradiated.

Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy

Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy PDF Author: J. A. Horak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Irradiation
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
Twelve 0.22-in.-diameter fuel specimens containing a longitudinal central vent and clad with 0.010 in. of Type 304 stainless steel were irradiated to evaluate the effect of restraint and a central vent on fuel element stability. The cladding of 10 of the specimens contained porous end plugs to vent any released fission gas and thus to minimize the buildup of gas pressure within the stainless steel cladding. The specimens consisted of a 20% enriched uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy core surrounded by a natural uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy sleeve. Eight of the specimens were irradiated to burnups of the enriched core of 6.9 to 12.8% of all atoms (1.2 to 2.2 at.% of the duplex assembly) at maximum fuel temperatures ranging from 280 to 760 deg C. Most of the clad specimens exhibited negligible volume increases as a result of irradiation. Two specimens containing central vents but unclad were irradiated together with the clad specimens in an attempt to differentiate between the effects due to a central vent and the effects due to cladding. The central vent in itself did not appear to reduce the swelling characteristics of the alloy. Mechanical restraint appeared to have extended the useful operating temperatures of the metallic fuel alloy by at least 200 deg C and also greatly extended the burnup levels to which the fuel could be irradiated.

Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy. Final Report-Programs 6.1.22 and 6.1.27

Irradiation Behavior of Restrained and Vented Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy. Final Report-Programs 6.1.22 and 6.1.27 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Twelve 0.22-in.-diameter fuel specimens containing a longitudinal central vent and clad with 0.010 in. of Type 304 stainless steel were irradiated to evaluate the effect of restraint and a central vent on fuel element stability. The cladding of 10 of the specimens contained porous end plugs to vent any released fission gas and thus to minimize the buildup of gas pressure within the stainless steel cladding. The specimens consisted of a 20% enriched uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy core surrounded by a natural uranium--2 wt% zirconium alloy sleeve. Eight of the specimens were irradiated to burnups of the enriched core of 6.9 to 12.8% of all atoms (1.2 to 2.2 at.% of the duplex assembly) at maximum fuel temperatures ranging from 280 to 760 deg C. Most of the clad specimens exhibited negligible volume increases as a result of irradiation. Two specimens containing central vents but unclad were irradiated together with the clad specimens in an attempt to differentiate between the effects due to a central vent and the effects due to cladding. The central vent in itself did not appear to reduce the swelling characteristics of the alloy. Mechanical restraint appeared to have extended the useful operating temperatures of the metallic fuel alloy by at least 200 deg C and also greatly extended the burnup levels to which the fuel could be irradiated. (auth).

Irradiation Behavior of Uranium-fissium Alloys. EBR-II Project

Irradiation Behavior of Uranium-fissium Alloys. EBR-II Project PDF Author: J. H. Kittel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Irradiation
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A series of uranium-fissium and uranium-fissium-zirconium alloys was irradiated in thermal test reactors to study the relationship of dimensional stability to alloy composition, thermal cycling, burnup, irradiation temperature, post-irradiation heating, and cladding restraint. None of the alloy compositions tested showed irradiation behavior superior to the uranium-5 wt./% fissium alloy that has been used as driver fuel in EBR-II since it began operation. This alloy is among those uranium-base alloys most capable of resisting high-temperature irradiation swelling. None of the alloys showed evidence of the reversion to the metastable gamma phase that has been observed in comparable uranium-molybdenum alloys. Swelling of uranium-fissium alloys was effectively restrained by most of the 0.009-inch thick cladding materials investigated. Local hydrostatic forces due to swelling of the fuel caused the fuel to extrude extensively out of small vent holes in the cladding. Little axial fuel movement occurred within the cladding, however, even when the upper fuel surface was entirely unrestrained.

Irradiation of Extrusion-clad Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy for EBR-1, Mark III

Irradiation of Extrusion-clad Uranium-2 W/o Zirconium Alloy for EBR-1, Mark III PDF Author: J. H. Kittel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Irradiation
Languages : en
Pages : 40

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Book Description
The fuel material specified for the Mark III core of EBR-I was uranium-2 wt. % zirconium alloy coextruded with Zircaloy-2 cladding. From previous work on swaged or rolled uranium-2 wt% zirconium alloy, it was anticipated that the extruded alloy would be dimensionally unstable under irradiation unless stabilized by suitable heat treatment. In order to determine an effective heat treatment, irradiation studies were made on both clad and unclad extruded uranium-2 wt.% zirconium alloy specimens at irradiation temperature estimated at 200 to 750 deg C. The irradiation specimens included material with three different heat treatments, selected on the basis of previous studies, and material transient melted in its cladding. For unclad specimens, it was found that the irradiation temperature strongly influenced the various irradiation growth rates resulting from different heat treatments. Growth rates of the clad specimens were relatively insensitive to either irradiation temperature or prior heat treatment. An exception was the transient-melted material, which shortened under irradiation. The cladding had only limited ability to restrain the swelling rates of specimens irradiated at the more elevated temperatures. Clad transient-melted material was found to be most resistant to high-temperature swelling under irradiation. The results of the present study combined with observations in earlier investigations resulted in a recommendation that the reference heat treatment for the core consist of gamma solution at 800 deg C followed by isothermal transformation at 690 deg C.

IRRADIATION BEHAVIOR OF ZIRCALOY-2 CLAD THORIUM--URANIUM--ZIRCONIUM FUEL ELEMENTS. Interim Report

IRRADIATION BEHAVIOR OF ZIRCALOY-2 CLAD THORIUM--URANIUM--ZIRCONIUM FUEL ELEMENTS. Interim Report PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Keywords Index to U.S. Government Technical Reports (permuted Title Index).

Keywords Index to U.S. Government Technical Reports (permuted Title Index). PDF Author: United States. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 860

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Irradiation Behavior of Uranium-fissium Alloys. EBR-II Project

Irradiation Behavior of Uranium-fissium Alloys. EBR-II Project PDF Author: J. H. Kittel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Irradiation
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description
A series of uranium-fissium and uranium-fissium-zirconium alloys was irradiated in thermal test reactors to study the relationship of dimensional stability to alloy composition, thermal cycling, burnup, irradiation temperature, post-irradiation heating, and cladding restraint. None of the alloy compositions tested showed irradiation behavior superior to the uranium-5 wt./% fissium alloy that has been used as driver fuel in EBR-II since it began operation. This alloy is among those uranium-base alloys most capable of resisting high-temperature irradiation swelling. None of the alloys showed evidence of the reversion to the metastable gamma phase that has been observed in comparable uranium-molybdenum alloys. Swelling of uranium-fissium alloys was effectively restrained by most of the 0.009-inch thick cladding materials investigated. Local hydrostatic forces due to swelling of the fuel caused the fuel to extrude extensively out of small vent holes in the cladding. Little axial fuel movement occurred within the cladding, however, even when the upper fuel surface was entirely unrestrained.

Irradiation Behavior of High Purity Uranium

Irradiation Behavior of High Purity Uranium PDF Author: R. D. Leggett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Uranium
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description


Keywords Index to U.S. Government Technical Reports

Keywords Index to U.S. Government Technical Reports PDF Author: United States. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 990

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"Pin-cushion" Irradiation Tests of Uranium and Its Zirconium Alloys

Author: S. H. Paine
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Alloys
Languages : en
Pages : 41

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Book Description
An irradiation test of 1/16 inch diameter x 3/16 inch long U-235/ and U-235/-Zr alloy specimens, in the range 2 to 20 wt.% Zr, is described. The small pins were mounted in heat transfer blocks, or ''cushions,'' in such a way that surface roughening and length changes could be observed, recorded, and compared for five stabilizing heat treatments up to exposure levels of approximately 1% total atom burnup. Addition of 2% Zr was found to be very beneficial, but the behavior of the alloys underwent distinct changes in going from 2 to 4 wt.% Zr. Material, both as-cast and subsequently isothermally treated, changed from minus to plus elongation, whereas wrought materials, either gamma-slow cooled or isothermally treated, changed from plus to minus behavior. Data-quenched wrought material varied unpredictably. Addition of Zr up to 20% showed further improvement in stability for all treatments. Factors which may have contributed to this behavior are discussed.