I. Takagi et al., EFFECTS OF THE SOLID-SOLID INTERFACE ON THE THERMAL-BEHAVIOR OF DEUTERIUM IN ZIRCALOY CLADDING TUBES, Journal of nuclear materials, 248, 1997, pp. 306-310
Citations number
8
Categorie Soggetti
Nuclear Sciences & Tecnology","Mining & Mineral Processing","Material Science
Using nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), experimental studies on diffusi
on and absorption of hydrogen isotopes in zircaloy were conducted. The
se thermal behaviors would be influenced by solid-solid interfaces suc
h as zirconium-zircaloy in liner tubes of nuclear fuel elements and im
purity-zircaloy on the cladding surfaces. A specimen of Zr-liner Zirca
loy-2 cladding was thermally charged with deuterium gas and slowly coo
led in the gas. NRA showed that deuterium highly accumulated in the si
de of zirconium near the interface, and the deuterium concentration in
Zircaloy-2 became lower. This indicated that the deuterium redistribu
tion occurred due to the deuterium migration toward the Zr-liner durin
g slow cooling. This redistribution may be explained by a slight diffe
rence of temperature dependence of the terminal solubility of deuteriu
m between zirconium and Zircaloy-2. The observed profile of deuterium
may suggest the distribution of tritium in stored spent fuel claddings
. Another experiment was to observe the deuterium concentration in Zir
caloy-4 tubes, of which impurity elements were present on the surface.
Before sample specimens were charged with deuterium gas, nickel or ir
on was deposited in vacuum, mechanically rubbed, or implanted to them.
It was found that effects of the impurity-zircaloy interface much dep
ended on the way of impurity charging. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.