Internal hydriding in irradiated defected Zircaloy fuel rods: A review (LWBR Development Program)

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6121898· OSTI ID:6121898

Clayton, J C

Although not a problem in recent commercial power reactors, including the Shippingport Light Water Breeder Reactor, internal hydriding of Zircaloy cladding was a persistent cause of gross cladding failures during the 1960s. It occurred in the fuel rods of water-cooled nuclear power reactors that had a small cladding defect. This report summarizes the experimental findings, causes, mechanisms, and methods of minimizing internal hydriding in defected Zircaloy-clad fuel rods. Irradiation test data on the different types of defected fuel rods, intentionally fabricated defected and in-pile operationally defected rods, are compared. Significant factors affecting internal hydriding in defected Zircaloy-clad fuel rods (defect hole size, internal and external sources of hydrogen, Zircaloy cladding surface properties, nickel alloy contamination of Zircaloy, the effect of heat flux and fluence) are discussed. Pertinent in-pile and out-of-pile test results from Bettis and other laboratories are used as a data base in constructing a qualitative model which explains hydrogen generation and distribution in Zircaloy cladding of defected water-cooled reactor fuel rods. Techniques for minimizing internal hydride failures in Zircaloy-clad fuel rods are evaluated.

• Research Organization: Bettis Atomic Power Lab., West Mifflin, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC11-76PN00014
• OSTI ID: 6121898
• Report Number(s): WAPD-TM-1604; ON: DE88002086
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ALLOYS
BREEDER REACTORS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAMINATION
CORROSION
ELEMENTS
FAILURES
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
HYDRATION
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
KINETICS
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
NICKEL ALLOYS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTION KINETICS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SOLVATION
THERMAL REACTORS
TIN ALLOYS
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS