Preliminary neutronic analysis of alternative cladding materials for APR-1400 fuel assembly

Alrwashdeh, Mohammad; Alameri, Saeed A.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111486

Cited by 22 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Since the 1950s, Zr-based alloys have been extensively employed in structures operating in the aggressive environments of nuclear reactor cores and critical chemical industry products, owing to their unique combination of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and low neutron absorption rates [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Currently, Zr alloy products serve as benchmarks for the functional properties of new materials in the nuclear industry [ 8 , 9 ]. Their potential bolsters interest for further medical applications in Zr-based alloys [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Cooling Rate on Crystallographic Features of Phase Transformations in Zr-2.5Nb

et al. 2023

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Zirconium (Zr) alloys are utilized as structural components for the cores of nuclear reactors due to the excellent combination of their mechanical properties and corrosion resistance under intense neutron irradiation conditions in water. The characteristics of microstructures formed during heat treatments play a crucial role in obtaining the operational performance of parts made from Zr alloys. This study investigates the morphological features of (α + β)-microstructures in the Zr-2.5Nb alloy, as well as the crystallographic relationships between α- and β-phases. These relationships are induced by the β→α(α″) displacive transformation that occurs during water quenching (WQ) and the diffusion-eutectoid transformation that takes place during furnace cooling (FC). To conduct this analysis, samples solution treated at 920 °C were examined using EBSD and TEM. The experimental distribution of α/β-misorientations for both cooling regimes deviates from the Burgers orientation relationship (BOR) at a discrete set of angles close to 0, 29, 35, and 43°. The experimental α/β-misorientation spectra are confirmed by crystallographic calculations for the β→α→β-transformation path based on the BOR. Similar spectra of misorientation angle distribution in α-phase and between α and β phases in Zr-2.5Nb after WQ and FC point to similar transformation mechanisms and the significant role of shear and shuffle in β→α-transformation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Cooling Rate on Crystallographic Features of Phase Transformations in Zr-2.5Nb

et al. 2023

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“…More investigations must be conducted because most studies pertaining to cladding and fuel interaction, coolant and cladding interaction, and cladding irradiation are in the early phases or have not been fully developed. A previous comparison study was carried out by [13] described the effect of utilizing various fuel cladding systems for A0-type APR-1400 fuel assembly, and the neutronics penalty associated with each type of the candidate materials.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figure 1 presents a general overview of the degradation process in a pressurized water reactor core for both the zircaloy (Zr)-fuel system and the potential candidate for the ATF-cladding material system. This paper focuses on preliminary neutronics analyses for both SiC and FeCrAl fuel cladding systems, for different APR-1400 fuel assembly designs, except assembly type A0 as it was analyzed in a previous work [13], and for the two-dimensional full reactor core. The neutronics parameters for the potential APR-1400 ATF cladding systems such as multiplication factor, neutron spectrum, linear power, and radial neutron flux were calculated and compared relative to the reference cladding, in particular, the neutronics penalty of adapting new fuel cladding system in the APR-1400 reactor core toward the End Of the Cycle (EOC).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SiC and FeCrAl as Potential Cladding Materials for APR-1400 Neutronic Analysis

Alrwashdeh

Alameri

2022

Energies

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The aim of this study is to investigate the potential improvement of accident-tolerant fuels in pressurized water reactors for replacing existing reference zircaloy (Zr) fuel-cladding systems. Three main strategies for improving accident-tolerant fuels are investigated: enhancement of the present state-of-the-art zirconium fuel-cladding system to improve oxidation resistance, replacement of the current referenced fuel-cladding system material with an alternative high-performance oxidation-resistant cladding, and replacement of the current fuel with alternative fuel forms. This study focuses on a preliminary analysis of the neutronic behavior and properties of silicon carbide (SiC)-fuel and FeCrAl cladding systems, which provide a better safety margin as accident-tolerant fuel systems for pressurized water reactors. The typical physical behavior of both cladding systems is investigated to determine their general neutronic performance. The multiplication factor, thermal neutron flux spectrum, 239Pu inventory, pin power distribution, and radial power are analyzed and compared with those of a reference Zr fuel-cladding system. Furthermore, the effects of a burnable poison rod (Gd2O3) in different fuel assemblies are investigated. SiC cladding assemblies present a softer neutron spectrum and a lower linear power distribution compared with the conventional Zr-fuel-cladding system. Additionally, the SiC fuel-cladding system exhibits behaviors that are consistent with the neutronic behavior of conventional Zr fuel-cladding systems, thereby affording greater economic and safety improvements.

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“…In response, the nuclear industry was driven to explore alternative fuel and cladding materials that would enhance the safety and reliability of NPPs. Thus, accident-tolerant fuels (ATFs) have been proposed [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, within the aeronautic industry, SiC/SiC composites have successfully replaced Nickle (Ni) alloy components in jet engines. With continual advancements in the engineering production of ceramic composites, SiC/SiC of a nuclear grade is now possible to manufacture [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutronic Analysis of SiC/SiC Sandwich Cladding Design in APR-1400 under Normal Operation Conditions

2022

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Our aim is to study the neutronic behaviour of potential accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) claddings in a pressurised water reactor under normal operations. This work compares ATF silicon carbide composite (SiC/SiC) cladding to conventional ZIRLO™ cladding in APR-1400. Additionally, a “sandwich” cladding design developed by the CEA is used for SiC/SiC. The design structure includes a liner in between two layers of the composite to ensure leak tightness. The two proposed liners are Niobium (Nb) and Tantalum (Ta). Serpent 2, a Monte Carlo reactor physics lattice code, is employed to model both cladding materials in APR-1400 at three different levels: pin cell, fuel assembly, and core. The criticality, neutron spectrum, actinide inventory, and power distribution as a function of burnup are investigated. The simulations show that SiC/SiC with the Nb liner displays a far superior performance than the Ta liner across all examined characteristics. Ta leads to a harder neutron spectrum and increased Pu-239 content throughout the cycle, while Nb presents negligible effects. In fact, SiC/SiC with the Nb liner performs very similarly to ZIRLO™ at all model levels. The results indicate that, in terms of neutronics, the adoption of the SiC/SiC composite would entail little to no changes to current APR-1400 operations.

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Preliminary neutronic analysis of alternative cladding materials for APR-1400 fuel assembly

Cited by 22 publications

References 22 publications

The Effect of Cooling Rate on Crystallographic Features of Phase Transformations in Zr-2.5Nb

The Effect of Cooling Rate on Crystallographic Features of Phase Transformations in Zr-2.5Nb

SiC and FeCrAl as Potential Cladding Materials for APR-1400 Neutronic Analysis

Neutronic Analysis of SiC/SiC Sandwich Cladding Design in APR-1400 under Normal Operation Conditions

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