An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions

Gamble, Kyle A.; Barani, Tommaso; Pizzocri, David; Hales, Jason D.; Terrani, Kurt A.; Pastore, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.04.039

Title: An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions

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Abstract

Iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys are candidates to be used as nuclear fuel cladding for increased accident tolerance. An analysis of the response of FeCrAl under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions has been performed using fuel performance modeling. In particular, recent information on FeCrAl material properties and phenomena from separate effects tests has been implemented in the BISON fuel performance code and analyses of integral fuel rod behavior with FeCrAl cladding have been performed. BISON simulations included both light water reactor normal operation and loss-of-coolant accidental transients. In order to model fuel rod behavior during accidents, a cladding failure criterion is desirable. For FeCrAl alloys, a failure criterion is developed using recent burst experiments under loss of coolant like conditions. The added material models are utilized to perform comparative studies with Zircaloy-4 under normal operating conditions and oxidizing and non-oxidizing out-of-pile loss of coolant conditions. The results indicate that for all conditions studied, FeCrAl behaves similarly to Zircaloy-4 with the exception of improved oxidation performance. Further experiments are required to confirm these observations.

Authors:

Gamble, Kyle A. ^[1]; Barani, Tommaso ^[2]; Pizzocri, David ^[2]; Hales, Jason D. ^[1]; Terrani, Kurt A. ^[3]; Pastore, Giovanni ^[1]

Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy)
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: 2017-04-30

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1357974

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1397861; OSTI ID: 1414381

Report Number(s):: INL/JOU-16-40643
Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115; AF5810000; NEAF278

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; AC07-05ID14517

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Nuclear Materials

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 491; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; BISON; FeCrAl; accident tolerant fuel; LOCA; 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS

Citation Formats


                    Gamble, Kyle A., Barani, Tommaso, Pizzocri, David, Hales, Jason D., Terrani, Kurt A., and Pastore, Giovanni. An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions.  United States: N. p., 2017. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.04.039.

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                    Gamble, Kyle A., Barani, Tommaso, Pizzocri, David, Hales, Jason D., Terrani, Kurt A., & Pastore, Giovanni. An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.04.039

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                    Gamble, Kyle A., Barani, Tommaso, Pizzocri, David, Hales, Jason D., Terrani, Kurt A., and Pastore, Giovanni. Sun .  
"An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.04.039.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1357974.

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@article{osti_1357974,

  title        = {An investigation of FeCrAl cladding behavior under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions},

  author       = {Gamble, Kyle A. and Barani, Tommaso and Pizzocri, David and Hales, Jason D. and Terrani, Kurt A. and Pastore, Giovanni},

  abstractNote = {Iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys are candidates to be used as nuclear fuel cladding for increased accident tolerance. An analysis of the response of FeCrAl under normal operating and loss of coolant conditions has been performed using fuel performance modeling. In particular, recent information on FeCrAl material properties and phenomena from separate effects tests has been implemented in the BISON fuel performance code and analyses of integral fuel rod behavior with FeCrAl cladding have been performed. BISON simulations included both light water reactor normal operation and loss-of-coolant accidental transients. In order to model fuel rod behavior during accidents, a cladding failure criterion is desirable. For FeCrAl alloys, a failure criterion is developed using recent burst experiments under loss of coolant like conditions. The added material models are utilized to perform comparative studies with Zircaloy-4 under normal operating conditions and oxidizing and non-oxidizing out-of-pile loss of coolant conditions. The results indicate that for all conditions studied, FeCrAl behaves similarly to Zircaloy-4 with the exception of improved oxidation performance. Further experiments are required to confirm these observations.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.04.039},

  journal      = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 491,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2017},

  month        = {4}

}

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