SiC coating as hydrogen permeation reduction and oxidation resistance for nuclear fuel cladding

Usui, Takahiro*; Sawada, Akihiko; Amaya, Masaki  ; Suzuki, Akihiro*; Chikada, Takumi*; Terai, Takayuki*

SiC coating is one of countermeasures for the prevention of oxidation and hydrogen embrittlement of fuel claddings because SiC has high resistance of oxidation and hydrogen permeation. Hydrogen permeation and oxidation experiments for the cladding materials with SiC coatings were conducted in unirradiated conditions. The sputtering method was employed to make SiC coatings. In the hydrogen permeation experiment, SUS316 was used as a base material of the coating. SUS316 with SiC coatings showed hydrogen permeation reduction by one order of magnitude. In the oxidation experiments, Zry-4 and SUS316 were used as base materials of the coatings. The weight gain of the Zry-4 specimens with a SiC coating decreased by about one-fifth compared to the uncoated ones. This phenomenon was observed for SUS316 at 750 C as well. The peel-off of the coating was observed in some experiments, and it is considered that the peel-off was caused by the difference of the thermal expansions between coatings and base materials. Thicker coatings showed better oxidation resistance, but thinner coatings showed more tolerance of peel-off.