Correlation of waterside corrosion and cladding microstructure in high-burnup fuel and gadolinia rods
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
Waterside corrosion of the Zircaloy cladding has been examined in high-burnup fuel rods from several BWRs and PWRs, as well as in 3 wt % gadolinia burnable poison rods obtained from a BWR. The corrosion behavior of the high-burnup rods was then correlated with results from a microstructural characterization of the cladding by optical, scanning-electron, and transmission-electron microscopy (OM, SEM, and TEM). OM and SEM examination of the BWR fuel cladding showed both uniform and nodular oxide layers 2 to 45 {mu}m in thickness after burnups of 11 to 30 MWd/kgU. For one of the BWRs, which was operated at 307{degree}C rather than the normal 288{degree}C, a relatively thick (50 to 70 {mu}m) uniform oxide, rather than nodular oxides, was observed after a burnup of 27 to 30 MWd/kgU. TEM characterization revealed a number of microstructural features that occurred in association with the intermetallic precipitates in the cladding metal, apparently as a result of irradiation-induced or -enhanced processes. The BWR rods that exhibited white nodular oxides contained large precipitates (300 to 700 nm in size) that were partially amorphized during service, indicating that a distribution of the large intermetallic precipitates is conductive to nodular oxidation. 23 refs., 9 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5656448
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8909235-2; ON: DE90001439
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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