CHALK RIVER EXPERIENCE WITH ZIRCALOY-2 AND ALUMINUM-NICKEL-IRON ALLOYS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE WATER
Experience was obtained in static autoclaves (300 deg C) and in loops (260 deg C) in which samples of aluminum and zircaloy are exposed to high- temperature water flowing at 8 to 10 meters/sec, under power-reactor conditions, in which the alloys were used to sheath UO/sub 2/ fuel elements dissipating heat in excess of 100 watts/cm/sup 2/ Long-time corrosion tests were done on extruded Zircaloy-2 tubing in static water at 380 deg C. A corrosion rate of 0.17 mg/dm/ sup 2//day resulted. Similar tests were carried out in steam at about 100 atmospheres and in the temperature range 400 to 540 deg C. The results show that there is a large difference between material extruded and annealed in the alpha phase and that cooled from the BETA phase, the latter showing the lower corrosion rates. The effect of hydrogen was investigated in the range 10 to 1200 ppm. In water at 343 deg C, no significant effect on the corrosion rate up to 110 days was observed. The effect of transition corrosion on subsequent corrosion was investigated in flowing water at 276 deg C. Samples were pre- corroded in steam at 400 deg C for 6 weeks after transition corrosion had set in. Subsequent corrosion tests are in progress in flowing water at 278 deg C, and interim results show that the corrosion rate is not influenced by the pretreatment. Aluminum alloys based on the Al--Ni--Fe system were investigated. The best alloy found to date contains 2.0% Ni, 0.5% Fe, 0.2% Si, 0.05% Be, 0.05% Zr, 0.2% Ti, and has a stutic corrosion rate of 1.3 x 10/sup -3/ cm/yr. Tests carried out in fast flowing water at 280 deg C demonstrate that the corrosion rate is strongly affected by the total exposed area of aluminum in the loop. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Chalk River, Ont.; Canadian Westinghouse Co., Ltd., Hamilton, Ont.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-13-006777
- OSTI ID:
- 4282832
- Report Number(s):
- A/CONF.15/P/194; AECL-604
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ANNEALING
BERYLLIUM ALLOYS
BOILING
CANNING
CORROSION
EXTRUSION
FUEL ELEMENTS
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDROGEN
IN PILE LOOPS
IRON ALLOYS
LIQUID FLOW
MATERIALS TESTING
METALLURGY AND CERAMICS
NICKEL ALLOYS
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PRESSURE VESSELS
SILICIDES
STEAM
SURFACES
TEMPERATURE
TITANIUM ALLOYS
TUBES
URANIUM DIOXIDE
WATER
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS