Overview of a Welding Development Program for a Ni-Cr-Mo-Gd Alloy

Conference · Wed Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:912909

Hurt, William L. ^[1]; Clark, Denis E. ^[1]; Mizia, Ronald E. ^[1]; Robino, C. V. ^[2]

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1. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
2. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

The National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program (NSNFP), located at the Idaho National Laboratory, coordinates and integrates management and disposal of U.S. Department of Energy-owned spent nuclear fuel. These management functions include using the DOE standardized canister for packaging, storage, treatment, transport, and long-term disposal in the Yucca Mountain Repository. Nuclear criticality must be prevented in the postulated event where a waste package is breached, and water (neutron moderator) is introduced into the waste package. Criticality control will be implemented by using a new, weldable, corrosion-resistant, neutron-absorbing material to fabricate the welded structural inserts (fuel baskets) that will be placed in the standardized canister. The new alloy is based on the Ni-Cr-Mo alloy system with a gadolinium addition. Gadolinium was chosen as the neutron absorption alloying element because of its high thermal neutron absorption cross section. This paper describes a weld development program to qualify this new material for American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) welding procedures, develop data to extend the present ASME Code Case (unwelded) for welded construction, and understand the weldability and microstructural factors inherent to this alloy.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-99ID-13727
• OSTI ID: 912909
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-07-12834; INL/CON-07-12113; TRN: US0800608
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Vol. 96, Issue 1; Conference: American Nuclear Society Annual Meeting, Data, Analysis, and Operations for Nuclear Criticality Safety--II, Boston, MA (United States), 24-28 Jun 2007; Related Information: https://www.ans.org/pubs/transactions/volume-96/; ISSN 0003-018X
• Publisher: American Nuclear Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ABSORPTION
ALLOY SYSTEMS
ALLOYS
CONTAINERS
CRITICALITY
CROSS SECTIONS
GADOLINIUM
GADOLINIUM ADDITIONS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEAR FUELS
THERMAL NEUTRONS
WASTES
WELDABILITY
WELDING
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
SPENT FUELS
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program (NSNFP)
Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT)
Neutron Absorber Weld Gadolinium
Spent Nuclear Fuel
Fuel Basket
Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ)