Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen

Yan, Y.; Qian, S.; Littrell, K.; Parish, C. M.; Plummer, L. K.

doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.009

Title: Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen

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Abstract

A non-destructive neutron scattering method to precisely measure the uptake of hydrogen and the distribution of hydride precipitates in light water reactor (LWR) fuel cladding was developed. Zircaloy-4 cladding used in commercial LWRs was used to produce hydrided specimens. The hydriding apparatus consists of a closed stainless steel vessel that contains Zr alloy specimens and hydrogen gas. Following hydrogen charging, the hydrogen content of the hydrided specimens was measured using the vacuum hot extraction method, by which the samples with desired hydrogen concentration were selected for the neutron study. Optical microscopy shows that our hydriding procedure results in uniform distribution of circumferential hydrides across the wall. Small angle neutron incoherent scattering was performed in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This study demonstrates that the hydrogen in commercial Zircaloy-4 cladding can be measured very accurately in minutes by this nondestructive method over a wide range of hydrogen concentrations from a very small amount ( 20 ppm) to over 1000 ppm. The hydrogen distribution in a tube sample was obtained by scaling the neutron scattering rate with a factor determined by a calibration process using standard, destructive direct chemical analysis methods on the specimens. This scale factormore »« less

Authors:

Yan, Y. ^[1]; Qian, S. ^[1]; Littrell, K. ^[1]; Parish, C. M. ^[1]; Plummer, L. K. ^[2]

Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (United States)

Publication Date:: Fri Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2015

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

OSTI Identifier:: 1185601

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1252345

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725; LOIS-6502

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Journal of Nuclear Materials

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 460; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0022-3115

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; Neutron scattering; Zr; hydride; nondestructive ealuation

Citation Formats


                    Yan, Y., Qian, S., Littrell, K., Parish, C. M., and Plummer, L. K. Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen.  United States: N. p., 2015. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.009.

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                    Yan, Y., Qian, S., Littrell, K., Parish, C. M., & Plummer, L. K. Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.009

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                    Yan, Y., Qian, S., Littrell, K., Parish, C. M., and Plummer, L. K. Fri .  
"Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.009.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1185601.

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@article{osti_1185601,

  title        = {Fast, quantitative, and nondestructive evaluation of hydrided LWR fuel cladding by small angle incoherent neutron scattering of hydrogen},

  author       = {Yan, Y. and Qian, S. and Littrell, K. and Parish, C. M. and Plummer, L. K.},

  abstractNote = {A non-destructive neutron scattering method to precisely measure the uptake of hydrogen and the distribution of hydride precipitates in light water reactor (LWR) fuel cladding was developed. Zircaloy-4 cladding used in commercial LWRs was used to produce hydrided specimens. The hydriding apparatus consists of a closed stainless steel vessel that contains Zr alloy specimens and hydrogen gas. Following hydrogen charging, the hydrogen content of the hydrided specimens was measured using the vacuum hot extraction method, by which the samples with desired hydrogen concentration were selected for the neutron study. Optical microscopy shows that our hydriding procedure results in uniform distribution of circumferential hydrides across the wall. Small angle neutron incoherent scattering was performed in the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This study demonstrates that the hydrogen in commercial Zircaloy-4 cladding can be measured very accurately in minutes by this nondestructive method over a wide range of hydrogen concentrations from a very small amount ( 20 ppm) to over 1000 ppm. The hydrogen distribution in a tube sample was obtained by scaling the neutron scattering rate with a factor determined by a calibration process using standard, destructive direct chemical analysis methods on the specimens. This scale factor will be used in future tests with unknown hydrogen concentrations, thus providing a nondestructive method for absolute hydrogen concentration determination.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2015.02.009},

  journal      = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 460,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2015},

  month        = {Fri Feb 13 00:00:00 EST 2015}

}

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