FABRICATION OF THE URANIUM BASE FUEL PLATES AND ASSEMBLIES FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL BOILING WATER REACTOR
The production of the uranium fuel alloy, the fabrication of the cladding components from Zircaloy-2 ingot, tbe assembly, welding, evacuation, and sealing of the cladding billets, the jacketing of cladding billets with steel, the roll bonding, heat treatment, stripping, and cleaning of the fuel plates, and the welding of fuel plates into fuel assemblies are discussed. Testing and ovaluation of the fuel plates and assemblies produced are also included. The uranium core alloy was produced on a modest scale (170 kg) by the solution of alloying elements, Zr and Nb, in molten uranium. The use of graphite crucibles was made possible by a ceramic coating which reduced carbon contamination to the melt and consequently loss and segregation of the alloying additions. Costly and short-lived ceramic crucioles were made obsolete. The method used for tbe simultaneous pouring of multiple billet core castings to rough dimensions is discussed. The Zircaloy-2 cladding components were produced from double arc melted ingots by a sequence of forging, scalping, rolling, and cleaning operations. A description of the process by which stock satisfactory for use as ciadding components is produced without resorting to extensive surface machining, is included. The cladding billet design which compensated for differential expansion between core and clad, took advantage of texture of tbe Zircaloy2 end plug stock in establishing the bond between end plugs and side plates, and sealed Zircaloy-2 cladding components to exclude external contaminants from the bonding interfaces, is discussed. A unique method of vacuum arc sealing of the billet after evacuation is included. A steel jacket design and hot rolling practice were employed which produced plates to close tolerances and small camber. Tbe isothermal heat treatment employod in developing irradiation dimensional stability in tbe core alloy, stripping, machining, and the final cleaning procedure employed for developing corrosion resistant surfaces without resorting to extensive over-all machining are described. The design of automatic tungsten arc spot welding equipment and tue production operating practice employed in the joining of the fuel assemblies are described. The fuel assemblies were producod by welding six parallel fuel plates, spaced nominally 3/8", to two perforated Zircaloy-2 side plates. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., Lemont, Ill.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-12-015045
- OSTI ID:
- 4306905
- Report Number(s):
- A/CONF.15/P/790
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Prepared for the Second U.N. International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, 1958. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BOILING
BONDING
CANNING
CERAMICS
CLEANING
CONFERENCE
CONFIGURATION
CORROSION
CRUCIBLES
ECONOMICS
EXPANSION
FABRICATION
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GRAPHITE
HEAT TREATMENTS
IMPURITIES
IRRADIATION
JACKETS
MACHINING
MATERIALS TESTING
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MELTING
NIOBIUM
PLANNING
PLATES
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTORS
ROLLING
SOLUTIONS
STEELS
SURFACES
THERMAL STRESSES
TUNGSTEN
URANIUM ALLOYS
VACUUM
WATER COOLANT
WELDING
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM