Creep, Hydride Orientation and Oxide Spalling Issues Associated with Fuel Cladding: Impact on High Burnup Fuel Dry Storage
- Westinghouse Electric Company, 5801 Bluff Road, P.O. Drawer R, Columbia, SC 29250 (United States)
- Westinghouse Atom AB, Vasteras, SE-721 63 (Sweden)
- BNFL, Berkeley Centre, Berkeley, GL13 9PB (United Kingdom)
This paper addresses dry fuel assembly related issues of post- irradiation creep ductility, cladding hydriding and oxide spalling. Post-irradiation creep data are presented to show that the rupture strain rapidly decreases at high strain rates. For example, Garde et al.,1 reported burst and tensile fracture strains of 0.58 and 0.44%. If the post-irradiation creep data reported by this study are applicable, the rupture strains associated with slower strain rates typical of dry fuel storage would be values of 2.9 and 2.2%, respectively. Metallography data is presented to show that radial hydrides form due to stress in recrystallized (RXA) cladding, but not in cold-worked and stress relief annealed (CWSR) cladding. Brittle fractures can result from radial hydrides. Visual fuel rod examination data shows that the advanced alloy CWSR ZIRLO does not exhibit oxide spalling for oxide thickness values of 100. Hence, this material is not associated with hydride lens formation due to oxide spalling. Further, simulated RIA testing shows that the fracture strain resistance for CWSR ZIRLO irradiated to 50 GWD/MTU is >8.6%. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21167937
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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