Irradiation growth behavior of improved Zr-based alloys for fuel cladding

燃料被覆管用改良型Zr基合金の照射成長挙動

天谷 政樹  ; 垣内 一雄 ; 三原 武  

Amaya, Masaki; Kakiuchi, Kazuo; Mihara, Takeshi

New fuel cladding alloys of which composition was changed from conventional ones have been developed by nuclear fuel vendors and utilities. Since the irradiation growth of fuel cladding is one of the most important parameters which determine the dimensional stability of fuel rod and/or fuel assembly during normal operation, the irradiation growth behavior of the improved Zr-based alloys for light-water reactor fuel cladding was investigated. The coupon specimens were prepared from fuel cladding tubes with various kinds of improved Zr-based alloys. The specimens were loaded into test rigs and had been irradiated in the Halden reactor in Norway under several coolant temperature conditions up to a fast-neutron fluence of 7.810 (n/cm, E 1 MeV). Irradiation conditions such as specimen temperatures had been continuously monitored during the irradiation. During and after the irradiation, the amount of irradiation growth of each specimen was evaluated as a part of the interim and final inspections. The effect of the difference in alloy composition on the amount of irradiation growth seemed insignificant if the other conditions e.g. the final heat treatment condition at fabrication and the irradiation temperature were the same.