Precipitates in irradiated Zircaloy

Conference · Tue Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6353320

Chung, H M

Precipitates in high-burnup (>20 MWd/kg U) Zircaloy spent-fuel cladding discharged from commercial boiling- and pressurized-water reactors have been characterized by TEM-HVEM. Three classes of primary precipitates were observed in the irradiated Zircaloys: Zr3O (2 to 6 nm), cubic-ZrO2 (greater than or equal to 10 nm), and delta-hydride (35 to 100 nm). The former two precipitations appears to be irradiation induced in nature. Zr(Fe/sub x/Cr/sub 1-x/)2 and Zr2(Fe/sub x/Ni/sub 1-x/) intermetallics, which are the primary precipitates in unirradiated Zircaloys, were largely dissolved after the high burnup. It seems, therefore, that the influence of the size and distribution of the intermetallics on the corrosion behavior may be quite different for the irradiated Zircaloys.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6353320
• Report Number(s): CONF-850902-10; ON: TI86005570
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360106 -- Metals & Alloys-- Radiation Effects
ALLOYS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CORROSION PRODUCTS
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
TIN ALLOYS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES