Severe Accident Test Station Activity Report

Pint, Bruce A.¹  Terrani, Kurt A.¹ 

[1] Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

关键词: Accident tolerant fuel cladding;    steam oxidation;    FeCrAl;    SiC;    FeCr;    MAX;    Mo;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1186001
RP-ID  :  ORNL/LTR-2015/217
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1186001
Others  :  Other: AF5810000
Others  :  NEAF278

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

Enhancing safety margins in light water reactor (LWR) severe accidents is currently the focus of a number of international R&D programs. The current UO2/Zr-based alloy fuel system is particularly susceptible since the Zr-based cladding experiences rapid oxidation kinetics in steam at elevated temperatures. Therefore, alternative cladding materials that offer slower oxidation kinetics and a smaller enthalpy of oxidation can significantly reduce the rate of heat and hydrogen generation in the core during a coolant-limited severe accident. In the U.S. program, the high temperature steam oxidation performance of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding solutions has been evaluated in the Severe Accident Test Station (SATS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) since 2012. This report summarizes the capabilities of the SATS and provides an overview of the oxidation kinetics of several candidate cladding materials. A suggested baseline for evaluating ATF candidates is a two order of magnitude reduction in the steam oxidation resistance above 1000??C compared to Zr-based alloys. The ATF candidates are categorized based on the protective external oxide or scale that forms during exposure to steam at high temperature: chromia, alumina, and silica. Comparisons are made to literature and SATS data for Zr-based alloys and other less-protective materials.