Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Corrosion and hydriding of three zirconium alloys in N-Reactor process tube 0553

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6303552

Coupons of three zirconium alloys - Zircaloy-2 (two lots and three metallurgical conditions); Zircaloy-4; and Zr-2.5Nb - were exposed in N-Reactor pressure tube 0553 for 155 days at 1.2 x 10/sup 20/ n/cm/sup 2/, >1 MeV. Although the exposure was relatively mild, significant differences in hydriding trends were observed for the three alloys. Hydriding rates differed for the three alloys: the rates were highest for Zircaloy-2, intermediate for Zircaloy-4, and lowest for Zr-2.5Nb. The corrosion rates for all three alloys were relatively low in the N-Reactor coolant. The temperatures at the in-flux and downstream out-of-flux locations were 250 to 258/sup 0/C (482 to 496/sup 0/F) and 260 to 268/sup 0/C (500 to 514/sup 0/F), respectively, which are lower than currently indicated for equivalent N-Reactor locations. The reactor was converting to steam production during the period of the test; but failure of a transformer delayed full steam operation until after the test was completed, which may explain the lower temperatures during the test.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC06-76RL01857; AC06-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
6303552
Report Number(s):
UNI-3251; PNL-5400; ON: DE87012223
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

A laboratory method to predict hydriding properties of zirconium alloys under irradiation
Conference · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · OSTI ID:7065498

Oxidation of zirconium alloys in steam at 1000 to 1850/sup 0/C. [Steam at 1000/sup 0/ to 1850/sup 0/C]
Journal Article · Fri Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1976 · Am. Soc. Test. Mater., Spec. Tech. Publ.; (United States) · OSTI ID:6380394

EVALUATION OF ZIRCONIUM 1.5 W/O NIOBIUM CLADDING FOR USE IN BOILING WATER REACTOR ENVIRONMENTS
Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1962 · OSTI ID:4747082