Accident tolerant fuel cladding development: Promise, status, and challenges

The motivation for transitioning away from zirconium-based fuel cladding in light water reactors to significantly more oxidation-resistant materials, thereby enhancing safety margins during severe accidents, is laid out. A review of the development status for three accident tolerant fuel cladding te...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nuclear materials Vol. 501; no. C; pp. 13 - 30
Main Author: Terrani, Kurt A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2018
Elsevier BV
Elsevier
Subjects:
Aluminum oxide
Carbides
Cladding
Ferrites
Light water reactors
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Metal matrix composites
Motivation
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear fuels
Nuclear reactors
Nuclear safety
Oxidation
Oxidation resistance
Safety margins
Silicon
Silicon carbide
Zirconium
ISSN:0022-3115, 1873-4820
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The motivation for transitioning away from zirconium-based fuel cladding in light water reactors to significantly more oxidation-resistant materials, thereby enhancing safety margins during severe accidents, is laid out. A review of the development status for three accident tolerant fuel cladding technologies, namely coated zirconium-based cladding, ferritic alumina-forming alloy cladding, and silicon carbide fiber–reinforced silicon carbide matrix composite cladding, is offered. Technical challenges and data gaps for each of these cladding technologies are highlighted. Full development towards commercial deployment of these technologies is identified as a high priority for the nuclear industry.
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USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
AC05-00OR22725
ISSN:0022-3115
1873-4820
DOI:10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.12.043