Surface wettability enhancement on oxide film coated-steels due to gamma-ray irradiation

Abstract

Regarding a severe accident of supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR), phase change between subcritical and supercritical conditions is crucial since heat transfer rate changes massively causing a dryout accident. Fundamental knowledge on surface wettability and boiling heat transfer on metals at subcritical conditions under radiation are, thus, important in thermal-hydraulic design and safety analysis of reactor core in light water reactors including a supercritical water-cooled reactor. The radiation induced surface activation (RISA) which enhances wettability and anticorrosive effect on the metal surface was first revealed by authors in 1999. In the earlier studies, significant improvements of surface wettability and boiling heat transfer on oxide film coatedmaterials by the RISA were observed in a room temperature condition. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of oxidized metal and γ-ray irradiation on metal surface wettability in high pressure and high temperature conditions. In this experiment, the test section was pressurized at 12 MPa with nitrogen gas using pressure vessel and was heated up to temperatures of 20, 150, 200, 250 and 290 centigrade. Two types of material; a stainless-304 and austenitic stainless steel named PNC1520, which is considered as a potential material of fuelcladding tube of the SCWR, were used as specimens. The oxide film on the specimen was formed in supercritical water at 380 centigrade and 22 MPa. About 600 kGy Co-60 γ-ray source was used for irradiation. The results showed that the difference of oxidization on wettability was insignificant at room temperature before γ-ray irradiation while contact angles on the oxidized specimen decreased at high temperatures. The water growth rate on oxidized material slightly lower compare to non-oxidized material. This result suggests oxide film formation on metal surface plays an important role in surface wettability enhancement by the RISA.