Evaluation of the maximum bending stress of pre-hydrided Zircaloy-4 cladding tube after simulated loss-of-coolant-accident test

Okada, Yuji; Amaya, Masaki  

In order to evaluate the fracture resistance of fuel rods against a seismic loading which might be applied following a Loss-Of-Coolant-Accident (LOCA), the bending strength of fuel cladding which experienced a simulated LOCA has been investigated after the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. In consideration of previous studies and results, the effect of the amount of oxidation on the maximum bending stress of pre-hydrided cladding tube with a small amount of ballooning was investigated in this study. According to the obtained results, it was suggested that the decrease in the maximum bending stress of the cladding tube experienced LOCA conditions is mainly determined by the hydrogen concentration in the cladding tube after simulated LOCA test, irrespective of pre-hydriding. It was also suggested that the decreasing trend of the maximum bending stress with increasing the hydrogen concentration would be expressed by a form of exponential function, in which the maximum bending stress at a hydrogen concentration of 1500 ppm was estimated to be about a half of that at 0 ppm.