A deformation and thermodynamic model for hydride precipitation kinetics in spent fuel cladding

Conference · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:137685

Stout, R B

Hydrogen is contained in the Zircaloy cladding of spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors. All the spent fuel rods placed in a nuclear waste repository will have a temperature history that decreases toward ambient; and as a result, most all of the hydrogen in the Zircaloy will eventually precipitate as zirconium hydride platelets. A model for the density of hydride platelets is a necessary sub-part for predicting Zircaloy cladding failure rate in a nuclear waste repository. A model is developed to describe statistically the hydride platelet density, and the density function includes the orientation as a physical attribute. The model applies concepts from statistical mechanics to derive probable deformation and thermodynamic functionals for cladding material response that depend explicitly on the hydride platelet density function. From this model, hydride precipitation kinetics depend on a thermodynamic potential for hydride density change and on the inner product of a stress tensor and a tensor measure for the incremental volume change due to hydride platelets. The development of a failure response model for Zircaloy cladding exposed to the expected conditions in a nuclear waste repository is supported by the US DOE Yucca Mountain Project. 19 refs., 3 figs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 137685
• Report Number(s): UCRL--100860; CONF-891119--109; ON: DE90008541
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CARTESIAN COORDINATES
DEFORMATION
DENSITY
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
FLUX DENSITY
FRACTURE MECHANICS
FUEL CANS
HEAT TRANSFER
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDRATES
HYDROGEN
KINETICS
MEASURING METHODS
PLANNING
PRECIPITATION
PRESSURE EFFECTS
RECOMMENDATIONS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
STATISTICAL MODELS
STRESS ANALYSIS
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMICS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM