SEDL / STP / STP1366-EB / STP12461S

Irradiation Growth of Zirconium Alloys at High Neutron Fluences

Shamardin, VK
Head of laboratory, State Scientific Center of Russian Federation “Research Institute of Atomic Reactors”, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region

Kobylyansky, GP
leading scientific officer, State Scientific Center of Russian Federation “Research Institute of Atomic Reactors”, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region

Kosenkov, VM
chief scientific officer, State Scientific Center of Russian Federation “Research Institute of Atomic Reactors”, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region

Pages: 17    Published: Jan 2000

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Abstract

The effect of high dose irradiation on irradiation growth in zirconium commercial Zr-1%Nb, Zr-2.5%Nb, Zr-1%Nb-1.3%Sn-0.4%Fe alloys at temperatures of ∼80 and 320–360°C has been investigated.

It is shown that the irradiation growth strain in Zirconium and Zr-Nb alloys as a function of neutron fluence sharply increases at fluences higher than (2–3)×10²⁶ m^-2 (E>0.1 MeV). Zr-1%Nb-1,3%Sn-0,4%Fe alloy was observed to exhibit radiation growth at high neutron fluences.

One of the methods to reduce anisotropy of properties and dimensional changes under irradiation is fast high-frequency treatment (FHF) consisting in quenching from beta-phase following quick heating with exposure.