First-Principles Studies of Tritium Species Dissociability & Diffusivity Across the Interface of Nickel-Plated Zircaloy-4

Technical Report · Wed Dec 27 23:00:00 EST 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2279020· OSTI ID:2279020

Tafen, De Nyago ^[1]; Redington, Morgan ^[1]; Paudel, Hari P. ^[1]; Duan, Yuhua ^[1]

---

1. National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)

Zirconium (Zr) and its alloys (Zircaloy-4) are widely used in nuclear reactors due to their low neutron adsorption cross-section and excellent corrosion resistance. In tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs), the metal getter tube located between the cladding and the γ-LiAlO₂ pellets is composed of nickel (Ni)-plated Zircaloy-4, which is used to capture tritium (³H) species (mainly ³H₂ and ³H₂O) generated from γ-LiAlO₂ pellets during irradiation. The ³H-related products transfer to the surface of metal Ni upon adsorption and dissociation to form new ³H species and diffuse into the Zircaloy-4 getters to form metal hydrides (Zr³H_x). Therefore, exploring ³H species (³H₂, ³H₂O) dissociation on the surface of Ni and diffusion across the interface of Ni-plated Zircaloy-4 getters can provide a better understanding of 3H species formation and transport from pellets into the getters.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO)
• OSTI ID: 2279020
• Report Number(s): DOE/NETL--2023/3931
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE