Study on high temperature steam oxidation behavior of Chromium

Nemoto, Yoshiyuki  

The author aimed to contribute to the analysis of the accident behavior of coated cladding with improved oxidation resistance by chromium (Cr) coating on the outer surface of conventional zirconium alloy fuel cladding, and investigated dependence of the oxidation behavior of Cr on the steam flow rate and on temperature. Coated cladding is being developed as one of the Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) claddings, and it is important to analyze the behavior of coated cladding under accidental conditions with high accuracy in the purpose of safety evaluation, for which the oxidation kinetics of Cr in high temperature steam is necessary. In this study, based on the results of oxidation tests in high temperature steam using a thermobalance, an oxidation kinetics for Cr in the temperature range and steam flow rate that encompass the conditions of considerable accident was proposed. The results can be used for future analyses in analysis codes such as SAMPSON, thereby contributing to the development of coated cladding.