Alloy Selection for Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding in Commercial Light Water Reactors

Rebak, Raúl B.

doi:10.1007/s40553-015-0057-6

Cited by 34 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Retained ductility has direct implications in the performance of cladding under operation especially when subjected to pellet-cladding mechanical interaction. The similar mechanical performance, especially in relation to ductility, between both alloy classes, the retained deformability in the lower Cr FeCrAl alloys indicated by the reduction-of-area results in Figure 8, and limited susceptibly of FeCrAl alloys to corrosion-assisted embrittlement [14,38,39] suggests the applicability of FeCrAl alloys as ATF LWR cladding from the standpoint of tensile properties under irradiation. Other mechanical properties, such as thermal creep and irradiation creep, should be determined prior to conclusively determining commercial use of any FeCrAl alloy as ATF LWR cladding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated model and commercial FeCrAl alloys

Field

Briggs

Sridharan

et al. 2017

Journal of Nuclear Materials

127

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The development and understanding of the mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated FeCrAl alloys is increasingly a critical need as these alloys continue to become more mature for nuclear reactor applications. This study focuses on the mechanical properties of model FeCrAl alloys and of a commercial FeCrAl alloy neutron-irradiated to up to 13.8 displacements per atom (dpa) at irradiation temperatures between 320 and 382°C. Tensile tests were completed at room temperature and at 320°C, and a subset of fractured tensile specimens was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Results showed typical radiation hardening and embrittlement indicative of high chromium ferritic alloys with strong chromium composition dependencies at lower doses. At and above 7.0 dpa, the mechanical properties saturated for both the commercial and model FeCrAl alloys, although brittle cleavage fracture was observed at the highest dose in the model FeCrAl alloy with the highest chromium content (18 wt %). The results suggest the composition and microstructure of FeCrAl alloys plays a critical role in the mechanical response of FeCrAl alloys irradiated near temperatures relevant to light water reactors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated model and commercial FeCrAl alloys

Field

Briggs

Sridharan

et al. 2017

Journal of Nuclear Materials

127

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“…Because of the Fukushima accident of March 2011, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has a mandate from US Congress to develop accident tolerant fuels under cost sharing programs with the nuclear fuel vendors [6][7][8]. Today many prefer to call the Accident tolerant fuel (ATF) as Advanced technology fuel (ATF).…”

Section: Accident Tolerant Fuels (Atf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FeCrAl alloys do not contain nickel, which is a more expensive and a higher neutron absorption element than Fe, Cr or Al. However, compared to the negative experience with austenitic SS cladding, extensive crack propagation studies in high temperature water showed that ferritic FeCrAl was several orders of magnitude more resistance to environmentally-assisted cracking than modern type 304 SS [7]. Because of its ferritic or bcc structure, FeCrAl alloys are also more resistant to irradiation degradation than prior versions of austenitic SS cladding materials.…”

Section: Accident Tolerant Fuels (Atf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By its own nature, FeCrAl alloys offer a larger parasitic neutron absorption compared to zirconium alloys [6,7,22]. Because FeCrAl alloys such as APMT and C26M are stronger than zirconium alloys at near 400°C, the FeCrAl material for the cladding can be made approximately half the thickness of the current zirconium alloys (Figs.…”

Section: Mitigation Measures To Neutron Absorption and Tritium Releasementioning

confidence: 99%

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Iron-chrome-aluminum alloy cladding for increasing safety in nuclear power plants

Rebak

2017

EPJ Nuclear Sci. Technol.

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Abstract. After a tsunami caused plant black out at Fukushima, followed by hydrogen explosions, the US Department of Energy partnered with fuel vendors to study safer alternatives to the current UO 2 -zirconium alloy system. This accident tolerant fuel alternative should better tolerate loss of cooling in the core for a considerably longer time while maintaining or improving the fuel performance during normal operation conditions. General electric, Oak ridge national laboratory, and their partners are proposing to replace zirconium alloy cladding in current commercial light water power reactors with an iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) cladding such as APMT or C26M. Extensive testing and evaluation is being conducted to determine the suitability of FeCrAl under normal operation conditions and under severe accident conditions. Results show that FeCrAl has excellent corrosion resistance under normal operation conditions and FeCrAl is several orders of magnitude more resistant than zirconium alloys to degradation by superheated steam under accident conditions, generating less heat of oxidation and lower amount of combustible hydrogen gas. Higher neutron absorption and tritium release effects can be minimized by design changes. The implementation of FeCrAl cladding is a near term solution to enhance the safety of the current fleet of commercial light water power reactors.

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“…[6][7][8] The first paper by G.R. Odette is entitled ''Recent Progress in Developing and Qualifying Nanostructured Ferritic Alloys for Advanced Fission and Fusion Applications.''…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nuclear Applications of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened and Nano-Featured Alloys: An Introduction

Rebak

2014

JOM

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The Nuclear Materials Committee of TMS is sponsoring the current topic in JOM, which is dedicated to a newer generation of materials called oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys and nano-featured alloys (NFA). These newer materials are fabricated by using powder stock materials and processing them through high energy attrition followed by either extrusion or forging. The presence of nano-sized oxides throughout the matrix makes the recrystallized alloy have grains that are smaller than 1 lm diameter. The nano-features in the matrix of ODS or NFA materials make them highly resistant to degradation by irradiation such as void swelling. There are four papers dedicated to ODS and NFA materials, including fabrication, joining and testing. INTRODUCTIONWorldwide, the generation of electric power has several sources of energy that can be grouped as: (1) fossil fuels (coal, petroleum and natural gas), (2) nuclear and (3) renewable (wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, etc.) sources. 1 The world energy consumption is still dominated (>85%) by the burning of fossil fuels. 2,3 Currently, there are approximately 30 countries that produce electricity using the energy released during nuclear fission. The percentage of electricity generated from nuclear energy varies from country to country. In some countries like France nuclear electricity represents approximately 75% of the national consumption, in the United States, it is approximately 20%, and in other countries like China it is only 2%. 2,3 The United States has the largest number of reactors (100) in capacity of operation, followed by France with 58 reactors, while China currently has 18 nuclear reactors in operation. In the mid-1980s, more than 20 reactors per year were connected globally to the grid; however, for the last 10 years, on average only 3-4 reactors were connected. 3 Due to concerns about climate change, in the early 2000s there was a renewed interest in nuclear energy, since it does not contribute to climate change. However, the natural disaster in northeast Japan in March 2011 further relegated the construction of newer nuclear power plants. 3 The events in Fukushima have propelled the U.S. Department of Energy to fund cost-shared research in the field of accident tolerant fuel (ATF), that is, a fuel that will be able to sustain a longer lack of active coolant before the release of radioactive material to the environment. 4,5 Most of the under-construction plants are located in Asia, where the mandates for new sources of electrical power are mostly controlled by the central governments. The currently operating nuclear power plants and the new plants under construction use technology that can be ascribed as up to Generation III. In this technology, the most common materials used are carbon steels, stainless steels and nickel alloys manufactured by traditional methods of melting, casting and forging.This JOM topic is dedicated to a newer generation of materials called oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys and nano-featured alloys (NFA). ...

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Alloy Selection for Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding in Commercial Light Water Reactors

Cited by 34 publications

References 19 publications

Mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated model and commercial FeCrAl alloys

Mechanical properties of neutron-irradiated model and commercial FeCrAl alloys

Iron-chrome-aluminum alloy cladding for increasing safety in nuclear power plants

Nuclear Applications of Oxide Dispersion Strengthened and Nano-Featured Alloys: An Introduction

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