High temperature postirradiation materials performance of spent pressurized water reactor fuel rods under dry storage conditions
Postirradiation studies on failure mechanisms of well-characterized pressurized water reactor rods were conducted for up to a year at 482, 510, and 571/sup 0/C in limited air and inert gas atmospheres. No cladding breaches occurred even though the tests operated many orders of magnitude longer in time than the lifetime predicted by Blackburn's analyses. The extended lifetime is due to significant creep strain of the Zircaloy cladding, which decreases the internal rod pressure. The cladding creep also contributes to radial cracks, through the external oxide and internal fuel-cladding chemical interaction layers, which propagated into and arrested in an oxygen stabilized alpha-Zircaloy layer. There were no signs of either additional cladding hydriding, stress corrosion cracking, or fuel pellet degradation. If irradiation hardening does not reduce the stress rupture properties of Zircaloy, a conservative maximum storage temperature of 400/sup 0/C based on a stress-rupture mechanism is recommended to ensure a 1000-yr cladding lifetime.
- Research Organization:
- Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory, P.O. Box 1970 Mail Stop W/A-53, Richland, Washington 99352
- OSTI ID:
- 6885211
- Journal Information:
- Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 57:1; ISSN NUTYB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360103 -- Metals & Alloys-- Mechanical Properties
AIR
ALLOYS
ATMOSPHERES
COMMINUTION
CONTROLLED ATMOSPHERES
CRACK PROPAGATION
CREEP
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
FLUIDS
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
FRACTURING
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
GASES
HARDENING
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INERT ATMOSPHERE
IRRADIATION
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
POST-IRRADIATION EXAMINATION
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION HARDENING
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
STORAGE
STORAGE LIFE
STRAINS
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
TIN ALLOYS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS