A Review of Early Findings within the Collaborative Research Programme MUZIC—“Mechanistic Understanding of Zirconium Corrosion”

Abstract

This paper comprises a review of some of the early research carried out within the Mechanistic Understanding of Zirconium Corrosion (MUZIC) consortium, which began in 2007 and was the first significant collaborative UK research program in the field of zirconium-based nuclear fuel cladding in the new millennium. MUZIC was funded by the UK's Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, with strong support from the nuclear industry in the UK, France, Sweden, and the United States. MUZIC is widely seen as the research program that kick-started the vibrant new UK research activity in zirconium-based fuel cladding, utilizing a modern collaborative approach through forming a seamless team between academia and the nuclear industry. The focus of MUZIC was understanding the root cause of the cyclic aqueous corrosion kinetics of commercial nuclear-grade zirconium alloys. The consortium focused particularly on the role of tin (Sn) in reducing the time of a corrosion cycle and therefore enhancing the overall corrosion kinetics.