From Micro to Nano: Materials characterization methods for testing of nuclear core and structural materials

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F26722445%3A_____%2F19%3AN0000026" target="_blank" >RIV/26722445:_____/19:N0000026 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/nuclearengineering/article-abstract/5/3/030917/725890/From-Micro-to-Nano-Material-Characterization?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" >https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/nuclearengineering/article-abstract/5/3/030917/725890/From-Micro-to-Nano-Material-Characterization?redirectedFrom=fulltext</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/1.4043462" target="_blank" >10.1115/1.4043462</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

From Micro to Nano: Materials characterization methods for testing of nuclear core and structural materials

Original language description

Nuclear grade fuel claddings act as a barrier against release of fuel particles into the coolant water during nuclear power plant operation, handling, and wet or dry storage of the spent fuel rods. The integrity of claddings is always a critical issue during the reactor operation, storage, or loss of coolant accidents (LOCA). After Fukushima disaster, cladding materials are widely studied, as the neutron transparent zirconium (Zr)-based alloys or accident tolerant fuel claddings, which should reduce the high-temperature oxidation rate of Zr-based alloys and enhance the accident tolerance. One part of the long-term investigation of Zr-based claddings in the Research Center Rez contributes to the characterization of material behavior after creep testing and high-temperature oxidation, i.e., conditions that may occur during reactor operation or storage of the spent fuel. Then, the microstructure response can be investigated by means of standard as well as advanced microscopy methods. In this study, we introduce the methodology of the cladding microstructure complex characterization demonstrated on the reference (nonirradiated) Zr-1% Nb alloy after creep testing. In the Zr-1% Nb microstructure, the hydrogen is present under some conditions as the hydride phases ZrH or ZrH2 that cause the mechanical properties degradation. As well, the hydride reorientation can pose a risk. Therefore, currently used methods of hydrides evaluation are presented. Furthermore, we introduce the microstructure analysis of the zircalloy-4 cladding after high-temperature oxidation at the temperature 1300 degrees C simulating LOCA. For this study, the new automatic chemical analysis procedure was developed. The main issue is the determination of the oxygen concentration and alloying elements behavior after critical increase of oxygen in the Zr-alloy tube at LOCA, also concerning the hydrogen content in the microstructure. Based on the element concentration gradients, the phase transitions from the oxide ZrO2 to the prior beta-Zr can be determined and contributes to the phase diagrams experimental verification. In our contribution, the significant role of the electron microscopy methods "from micro to nanoscale" in the nuclear research is emphasized in these two research topics.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

20305 - Nuclear related engineering; (nuclear physics to be 1.3);

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2019

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

ISSN

2332-8983

e-ISSN

2332-8975

Volume of the periodical

5

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

6

Pages from-to

1-6

UT code for WoS article

000470245100018

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85070819151