33 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Cladding metallurgy and fracture behavior during reactivity-initiated accidents at high burnup
High-burnup fuel failure during a reactivity-initiated accident has been the subject of safety-related concern. Because of wide variations in metallurgical and simulation test conditions, it has been difficult to understand the complex failure behavior from major tests in NSRR and CABRI reactors. In this paper, a failure model based on fracture toughness and microstructural characteristics is proposed in which fracture toughness of high-burnup cladding is assumed to be sensitive to temperature and exhibit ductile-brittle transition phenomena similar to those of irradiated bcc alloys. Significant effects of temperature and shape of the pulse are predicted when a simulated test is conducted near the material`s transition temperature. Temperature dependence of fracture toughness is, in turn, sensitive to cladding microstructure such as density, distribution, and orientation of hydrides, oxygen distribution in the metallic phase, and irradiation-induced damage. Because all these factors are strongly influenced by corrosion, the key parameters that influence susceptibility to failure are oxide layer thickness and hydriding behavior. Therefore, fuel failure is predicted to be strongly dependent on cladding axial location as well as on burnup. 10 figs, 21 refs
Recommended from our members
Stress corrosion cracking of candidate materials for nuclear waste containers
Types 304L and 316L stainless steel (SS), Incoloy 825, Cu, Cu-30%Ni, and Cu-7%Al have been selected as candidate materials for the containment of high-level nuclear waste at the proposed Yucca Mountain Site in Nevada. The susceptibility of these materials to stress corrosion cracking has been investigated by slow-strain-rate tests (SSRTs) in water which simulates that from well J-13 (J-13 water) and is representative of the groundwater present at the Yucca Mountain site. The SSRTs were performed on specimens exposed to simulated J-13 water at 93{degree}C and at a strain rate 10{sup {minus}7} s{sup {minus}1} under crevice conditions and at a strain rate of 10{sup {minus}8} s{sup {minus}1} under both crevice and noncrevice conditions. All the tests were interrupted after nominal elongation strains of 1--4%. Examination by scanning electron microscopy showed some crack initiation in virtually all specimens. Optical microscopy of metallographically prepared transverse sections of Type 304L SS suggests that the crack depths are small (<10 {mu}m). Preliminary results suggest that a lower strain rate increases the severity of cracking of Types 304L and 316L SS, Incoloy 825, and Cu but has virtually no effect on Cu-30%Ni and Cu-7%Al. Differences in susceptibility to cracking were evaluated in terms of a stress ratio, which is defined as the ratio of the increase in stress after local yielding in the environment to the corresponding stress increase in an identical test in air, both computed at the same strain. On the basis of this stress ratio, the ranking of materials in order of increasing resistance to cracking is: Types 304L SS < 316L SS < Incoloy 825 {congruent} Cu-30%Ni < Cu {congruent} Cu-7%Al. 9 refs., 12 figs., 7 tabs
Instrumented impact properties of zircaloy-oxygen and zircaloy-hydrogen alloys
Instrumented-impact tests were performed on subsize Charpy speciments of Zircaloy-2 and -4 with up to approx. 1.3 wt % oxygen and approx. 2500 wt ppM hydrogen at temperatures between 373 and 823/sup 0/K. Self-consistent criteria for the ductile-to-brittle transition, based upon a total absorbed energy of approx. 1.3 x 10/sup 4/ J/m/sup 2/, a dynamic fracture toughness of approx. 10 MPa.m/sup 1/2/, and a ductility index of approx. 0, were established relative to the temperature and oxygen concentration of the transformed BETA-phase material. The effect of hydrogen concentration and hydride morphology, produced by cooling Zircaloy-2 specimens through the temperature range of the BETA ..-->.. ..cap alpha..' = hydride phase transformation at approx. 0.3 and 3 K/s, on the impact properties was determined at temperatures between 373 and 673 K. On an atom fraction basis, oxygen has a greater effect than hydrogen on the impact properties of Zircaloy at temperatures between approx. 400 and 600 K. 34 figures
Recommended from our members
Role of atmospheric corrosion of aluminum alloys in viability of intrinsic-surface methods for tagging military hardware
A primary requirement for authentication of tags for military equipment desigated as treaty-limited items (TLIs) is that the surface topograhy of the tag area be maintained after exposure to a variety of atmospheric conditions over many years. This report summarizes the chemical and physical properties of atmospheric as they relate to localized corrosion of aluminum and aluminum alloys. The role of impurity species that exacerbate corrison, and that hence may interfere with tag verification, is discussed. Because exposure times for the tag materials are much longer than those practical in laboratory experiments, it is important to understand the kinetics of processes occurring in these alloys and the viability of various protection schemes. General principles and limitations of testing in natural atmospheres and in the laboratory are discussed. Corrosion results indicate that the tag surface must be protected, and a tag protection scheme is proposed
Recommended from our members
Effect of temperature and ionic impurities at very low concentrations on stress corrosion cracking of type 304 stainless steel
The relative effect of approx. 12 anion species, in conjunction with hydrogen and sodium cations, on the stress-corrosion-cracking (SCC) behavior of lightly sensitized Type 304 stainless steel was investigated in constant-extension-rate-tensile (CERT) tests at 289/sup 0/C in water with 0.2 ppM dissolved oxygen at total conductivity values of less than or equal to 1 ..mu..S/cm. The results show that the sulfur species, either in acid or sodium form, produce the highest degree of IGSCC relative to other anions. The effect of temperature on the SCC behavior of the material was investigated in CERT tests over the range 110 to 320/sup 0/C in high-purity water and in water containing 0.1 and 1.0 ppM sulfate as H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ at a dissolved oxygen concentration of 0.2 ppM. The CERT parameters were correlated with impurity concentration (i.e., conductivity) and the electrochemical potential of platinum and Type 304 stainless steel electrodes in the high-temperature environments. Maximum IGSCC occurred at temperatures between approx. 200 and 250/sup 0/C in high-purity water, and the addition of sulfate increased the average crack growth rates and the temperature range over which maximum susceptibility occurred. A distinct transition from intergranular to transgranular and ultimately to a ductile failure mode was observed as the temperature increased from approx. 270 to 320/sup 0/C in high-purity water. This transition was attributed to a decrease in the open-circuit corrosion potential of the steel below a critical value of approx. 0 mV(SHE) at the higher temperature. A large decrease in the crack growth rates of fracture-mechanics-type specimens of the steel was also found when the temperature was increased from 289 to 320/sup 0/C in high-purity water with 0.2 ppM dissolved oxygen. 26 references, 8 figures, 6 tables
Recommended from our members
Analysis of the effects of corrosion potential and impurities on the stress corrosion cracking of Type 304 stainless steel
Intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC) of sensitized Type 304 stainless steel (SS) has been a recurrent problem in the high-temperature water environment of boiling-water-reactors (BWRs) over the past two decades. The synergistic effects of environmental and material variables on stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of Type 304 SS were investigated at 289/sup 0/C by means of constant-extension-rate-tensile (CERT) tests at a strain rate of 1 x 10/sup -6//s. Correlations among environmental variables (dissolved oxygen and impurity concentrations, viz., H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, steady-state open-circuit electro-chemical potential) and the SCC susceptibility parameters have been determined. The extensive results over a wide range of open-circuit corrosion potential conditions were analyzed by a model which accounts for the effects of environmental variables, microstructure (e.g., degree of sensitization) and strain rate. The results are consistent with a slip-dissolution mechanism for SCC. Furthermore, representation of the dependence of corrosion potential and average crack growth rate on the dissolved oxygen concentration of the water by a simple mathematical function, in conjunction with the theoretical model, enables predictions of both strain rate and environmental effects on the SCC susceptibility of sensitized Type 304 SS. 12 refs., 7 figs
Recommended from our members
Technical basis for hydrogen-water chemistry: Laboratory studies of water chemistry effects on SCC (stress-corrosion-cracking)
The influence of different impurities, viz., oxyacids and several chloride salts, on the stress-corrosion-cracking (SCC) of sensitized Type 304 stainless steel (SS) was investigated in constant-extension-rate-tensile (CERT) tests in 289/sup 0/C water at a low dissolved-oxygen concentration (<5 ppB). Cyclic loading experiments on fatigue precracked fracture-mechanics-type specimens of this material and Type 316NG were also performed at 289/sup 0/C in low-oxygen environments with and without sulfate at low concentrations. In these experiments, the crack growth behavior of the materials was correlated with the type and concentration of the impurities and the electrochemical potentials of Type 304 SS and platinum electrodes in the simulated hydrogen-water chemistry environments. The information suggests that better characterization of water quality, through measurement of the concentrations of individual species (SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/, NO/sub 3//sup -/, Cu/sup 2 +/, etc.) coupled with measurements of the corrosion and redox potentials at high temperatures will provide a viable means to monitor and ultimately improve the performance of BWR system materials
Generalized method of computing carbon-diffusion profiles in austenitic stainless steels exposed to a sodium environment
Numerous experimental observations on the carburization-decarburization behavior of austenitic stainless steels in hightemperature flowing sodium have been reported; however, quantitative predictions of carbon diffusion in the steels under specific environmental conditions have been difficult. A mathematical analysis for the process has been developed that incorporates (1) the thermodynamic and kinetic information for carbon in the alloys, (2) the thermal-mechanical treatment of the material (solution annealed versus cold worked) that influences the microstructure, and (3) the carbon concentration in sodium and its dependence on sodium-system parameters. Carbon concentrationdistance profiles in Types 304 and 316 stainless steel were generated as a function of time, temperature, and carbon concentration in sodium and compared with experimental data. The analysis was used to evaluate the carburization -- decarburization behavior of Type 316 stainless steel fuel cladding exposed to sodium and to develop carbon-diffusion profiles in Type 304 stainless steel intermediate-heat-exchanger piping upon exposure to primary- and secondary-system sodium for periods to 30 y. (auth