Abstract
The (Ag, In, Cd) alloy which is used in LWRs as absorber material melts at about 800°C. After mechanical and/or chemical failure of the stainless steel absorber rod cladding at elevated temperatures, the molten absorber alloy interacts chemically with the Zircaloy guide tube and Zircaloy cladding of the fuel rods and dissolves them. Stainless steel is not attacked by the (Ag, In, Cd) alloy. The knowledge of the reaction kinetics between the (Ag, In, Cd) alloy and Zircaloy is important for the description of core degradation phenomena and has therefore been investigated at temperatures up to 1200°C. The behavior at higher temperatures could not be studied because of the fast liquefaction of Zircaloy by the absorber alloy during heatup. It was found that thin oxide layers on the Zircaloy surface can delay the chemical interactions with the molten (Ag, In, Cd) alloy but they cannot prevent them, because the ZrO 2 layers possibly disappear under the formation of oxygen-stabilized α-Zr(O). These chemical interactions can be described by parabolic rate laws; the corresponding Arrhenius equations are given.
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