A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF FISSION FRAGMENT RECOILS ON THE OXIDATION OF ZIRCONIUM (thesis)

Technical Report · Fri May 13 04:00:00 EDT 1960

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4139988· OSTI ID:4139988

Yee, W. C.

The effects of fission fragment recoils on the corrosion of zirconium in an oxygen atmosphere at 250 deg C were studied. Each of the experiments was conducted in an autoclave unit which contained four zirconium specimens and a source of fission fragments as required. Four runsthree of them with a source- were conducted in the ORNL Graphite Reactor at a maximum thermal neutron flux of 8.5 x 10/sup 11/ neutrons/cm/sup 2/second. The experiment was designed to provide for oxidation of specimens under conditions such as reactor radiations including fission fragment recoils, reactor radiation in the absence of fission fragment recoils, and no radiation. All other variables were maintained as constant as possible. The test specinnens were maintained at 250 deg C while the control specimens operated at 265 deg C. The results of the analyses made on the zirconium specimens indicated that fission fragment recoils did physically affect the oxide film. Observations may be interpreted as the fission fragment recoils affecting the oxide film such that the oxide underwent a phase transformation and/or the oxide developed a fine particle size with random orientation. The limited data indicated that there was a greater weight gain in the zirconium specimiens oxidized in-pile than those oxidized out-of-pile. (J.R.D.)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-14-015131
• OSTI ID: 4139988
• Report Number(s): ORNL-2742
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ALLOTROPY
ATMOSPHERE
AUTOCLAVES
CORROSION
DISTRIBUTION
FILMS
FISSION PRODUCTS
GRAIN SIZE
IN PILE LOOPS
IRRADIATION
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTORS
RECOILS
STANDARDS
THERMAL NEUTRONS
WEIGHT
ZIRCONIUM