Abstract
Debris fretting is one of the most significant fuel rod failure causes. An approach to mitigate this is to apply special coatings on the surface of the cladding that are supposed to increase the wear resistance. This paper summarizes the experiments performed in Research Centre Rež on fuel cladding tube specimens. The tube segments made of uncoated and coated Zr-1%Nb alloy were exposed to fretting tests simulating the wire-debris vibrations impact on cladding during the reactor operation. The goal of these tests is to obtain results about the differences in wear resistance of uncoated and coated specimens. This paper shows the testing procedure in the air at room temperature and obtained impact markings on the specimens’ surfaces.
Highlights
The leaking fuel rods are an issue having been solved for a long time and remaining still relevant
In the cooperation with Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague and UJP Praha a.s. five different types of cladding materials were tested in the same conditions for their comparison
The photos obtained with the Vertex equipment clearly indicates the positive effect of coating application on the wear resistance of standard Zr-1%Nb cladding
Summary
The leaking fuel rods are an issue having been solved for a long time and remaining still relevant. The force load of a single debris-cladding contact is relatively very small, the numerous impacts can lead to fretting wear when the affected range is limited Another approach lowering the debris-impact onto the fuel cladding integrity is the introduction of coatings on the cladding surface, which are usually formed as a very thin film (microns) of highly wear-resistant material. Research Centre Řež (CVŘ) has developed its own methodology for debris fretting of nuclear fuel cladding testing in dry conditions with the possibility to widen the spectrum for wet and high-temperature dry tests. In this way, it is possible to test and compare different types of ATF claddings, including even SiC/SiC composites, which are supposed to withstand the debris impact even in elevated temperatures. This work presents the testing method and preliminary outputs of the materials’ comparison
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