Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

The peer-reviewed scientific and technology journal. ISSN: 0204-3327

Evolution of the Hydride Structure in Irradiated E110 Alloy in the Process of Thermomechanical Treatment Simulating Supercritical Dry Storage Conditions

3/28/2023 2023 - #01 Nuclear materials

Kurskiy R.A. Safonov D.V. Zabusov O.O. Frolov A.S. Maltsev D.A. Rozhkov A.V. Shishkin A.A.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2023.1.09

UDC: 621.039.546

The paper investigates irradiated samples of fuel rod cladding made from E110 (Zr-1% Nb) alloy following thermomechanical treatment simulating supercritical dry storage conditions for the VVER-1000 reactor spent nuclear fuel. The thermomechanical treatment conditions included isothermal annealing of gas-pressurized samples at temperatures of 380 to 400°С and hoop stresses of up to 100 MPa for 100 and 200 days. An optical microscopy examination has revealed the formation of a radial hydride structure. A microstructure examination based on electron microscopy techniques has revealed minor changes in the volume fraction of secondary phases after the thermomechanical treatment, as well as an increase in the volume fraction of hydrides and annealing of radiation defects. Tensile tests of ring samples at room temperature have shown that, following the thermomechanical treatment, the samples with an increased fraction of radial hydrides demonstrated a decreased material plasticity performance as compared with the irradiated material after in-pile operation.

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hydrides dry storage fuel rod cladding zirconium alloys E110

Link for citing the article: Kurskiy R.A., Safonov D.V., Zabusov O.O., Frolov A.S., Maltsev D.A., Rozhkov A.V., Shishkin A.A. Evolution of the Hydride Structure in Irradiated E110 Alloy in the Process of Thermomechanical Treatment Simulating Supercritical Dry Storage Conditions. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2023, no. 1, pp. 108-120; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2023.1.09 (in Russian).

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