Development of Cr cold spray–coated fuel cladding with enhanced accident tolerance

Improved Accident Tolerance of Austenitic Stainless Steel Cladding through Colossal Supersaturation with Interstitial Solutes

Presently, LWR (light-water reactor) fuel cladding (tube) is made from Zr-base alloys (e.g., Zircaloy). However, in steam at temperatures above 1000 K (727 °C), these alloys oxidize rapidly, stripping oxygen from water molecules and producing hydrogen, which may cause explosion. Moreover, Zr-base alloys are prone to GTRF (“grid-to-rod” fretting) failure, in which flowinduced vibration of fuel r...

Behaviors of Nuclear Fuel Cladding During RIA

Development of a used fuel cladding damage model incorporating circumferential and radial hydride responses

At the completion of the fuel drying process, used fuel Zry4 cladding typically exhibits a significant population of d-hydride inclusions. These inclusions are in the form of small platelets that are generally oriented both circumferentially and radially within the cladding material. There is concern that radiallyoriented hydride inclusions may weaken the cladding material and lead to issues du...

Recycle of Zirconium from Used Nuclear Fuel Cladding:

Feasibility tests were initiated to determine if the zirconium in commercial used nuclear fuel (UNF) cladding can be recovered in sufficient purity to permit re-use, and if the recovery process can be operated economically. Initial tests are being performed with unirradiated, non-radioactive samples of various types of Zircaloy materials that are used in UNF cladding to develop the recovery pro...

Friction Surface Cladding FRICTION SURFACE CLADDING DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLID STATE CLADDING PROCESS