ATF CLADDING MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING WITHIN IAEA ATF-TS CRP
M. ŠEVEČEK1, J. STUCKERT2, A. RIAHI3, A. QI4, W. LI 5, N. ONDER6, B. SARTOWSKA7
1Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
2Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
3Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
4China Nuclear Power Engineering
5Nuclear Power Institute of China
6Canadian Nuclear...
The FeCrAl-oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy is a promising candidate alloy for the accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding of light water reactors (LWRs) and has been recently developed in Japan. This paper reports on the progress of the development of accident tolerant FeCrAl-ODS fuel claddings for boiling water reactors (BWRs) in Japan.
Both experimental and analytical studies were...
Chromium(Cr)-coated zirconium cladding has become a leading candidate material for the accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding in recent engineering activities after more than a decade of technological developing. Extensive research has been conducted worldwide, covering the preparation process, performance evaluation, and test verification. The commercial reactor irradiation of Cr-coated...
INTRODUCTION: Following the Fukushima Daiichi powerplant accident in March 2011 which resulted from an offshore tsunami, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a program to investigate enhancing the accident tolerance of light water reactors (LWRs). The program mandated a focus on the development of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) that when compared to traditional UO2 and zirconium-alloy...
SEPARATE EFFECT TESTS WITH ATF CLADDING MATERIALS WITHIN IAEA ATF-TS CRP
M. ŠEVEČEK1
1Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Corresponding author: M. ŠEVEČEK, martin.sevecek@fjfi.cvut.cz
INTRODUCTION
This paper describes the separate effect tests performed on ATF cladding materials within the ATF-TS coordinated research project (CRP) [1]. Work Task 1 (WT1) of...
INTRODUCTION: The main objective of accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) development is to withstand high-temperature accident conditions in nuclear reactors. An important part of ATF fuel qualification involves experimental testing of fuel components in both in-pile and out-of-pile test facilities. The CODEX experimental program included two tests with ATF fuel materials: the CODEX-ATF test,...
In order to obtain the first-hand information and valuable in-pile experience with evolutionary accident tolerant fuel (ATF) products, ELECTRABEL (ENGIE) and European Fuel Group (EFG) has reached an agreement in 2019 to load 4 RFA-2 OPT XLR fuel assemblies with EnCore® Cr-coated cladding lead test rods (LTRs) at Doel Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 (Doel-4). Under this agreement, ENUSA and...
Integral tests with bundles of Zircaloy₋4 fuel cladding coated with 10 μm Cr, 20 μm Cr, and 26 μm Cr/CrN were carried out under simulating design extension conditions (DEC) using an induction heating furnace at the CRIEPI's DEGREE facility. The bundles were heated to 1350 °C or 1500 °C in a steam-Ar mixed gas atmosphere and then quenched in Ar gas. In addition to on-line measurements of...
Zirconium alloys have long served as fuel cladding in light water reactors due to their excellent mechanical properties and low neutron absorption cross-section. However, during loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs), they react violently with high-temperature steam. Chromium-coated zirconium alloys are a leading candidate for accident-tolerant fuels (ATFs), yet their protective capability fails...
Zirconium alloys (Zircaloys) are widely used as fuel cladding in LWRs but suffer rapid oxidation in high-temperature steam, compromising structural integrity. Cr coatings, especially those applied via physical vapour deposition (PVD) method, offer improved oxidation resistance and mechanical stability. According to open literature, the 3D real-time failure process of such material under...
Abstract: The Cr-coated cladding has excellent corrosion resistance and good bonding performance with zirconium alloy matrix, and has become the most promising material selection for ATF cladding in engineering applications. Due to the fact that the Cr-coated cladding is obtained by preparing a layer of Cr coating on the outer surface of the traditional zirconium alloy cladding, the...
INTRODUCTION: In recent years, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has performed both irradiation and post-irradiation examination (PIE) tests to support development and deployment of advanced technology fuel (ATF) concepts. The paper overviews test irradiations under pressurized water reactor (PWR) conditions at both commercial and test reactors. PIE was performed on rodlets fabricated by...
In the context of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) development, long-term corrosion tests were conducted on a niobium-stabilized austenitic stainless steel (Nb-ASS) to assess its oxidation resistance under normal water operation conditions in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) environment. Due to the limited availability of corrosion data for this alloy in such conditions, two independent...
This presentation will focus on the behaviour of Cr-coated zirconium alloy claddings under LOCA conditions. Among the various coating concepts investigated by CEA over the past 15 years, particular attention has been paid to chromium coatings deposited via Physical Vapour Deposition – High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (PVD-HiPIMS), identified early on as a promising candidate for...
INTRODUCTION: Chromium-based coated Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) cladding, currently the only feasible surface treatment for pressurized water reactors, mitigates the limitations of conventional Zirconium (Zr) claddings by enhancing performance, enabling higher burnup, and reducing exothermic metal-water reactions and cladding embrittlement from condition I to Beyond Design Basis Condition...
After Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, ATFs (Accident Tolerent Fuels) are being developed to prevent severve accident or to delay the progression of accidents in nuclear power plants. Some of the new designs are focoused on conventional Zr cladding coated with materials that improve cladding behaviour in high-temperature enviroments. This paper presents high-temperature experiments carried...
INTRODUCTION: In the framework of the IAEA Coordinated Research Project Testing and Simulation for Advanced Technology and Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF-TS), a comprehensive experimental program was conducted to investigate the performance of advanced cladding materials. The goal was to characterize their behaviour under various conditions and to compare the newly obtained data with that of...
Since 2021, IAEA has been organizing a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Testing and Simulations of Accident Tolerant and Advanced Technology Fuels (ATF-TS). A work task (WT2) is dedicated to benchmark the computer codes used for ATF behaviour simulation. The WT includes ATF specific modelling developments in fuel performance codes and simulation benchmark exercises using these codes to...
IAEA ATF-TS Benchmark FOR simulation of bundle tests
J. STUCKERT1, Z. HÓZER2, A. KHAPERSKAIA3
1Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
2HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research (HUN-REN EK), Budapest, Hungary
3Nuclear Energy Department, IAEA, Vienna International Centre, Vienna, Austria
Corresponding author: J. STUCKERT, juri.stuckert@kit.edu
INTRODUCTION: As part of the...
Microcell CERMET (CERamic METal) is an ATF (Accident Tolerant and Advanced Technology Fuels) where granules of UO2 are enveloped in metallic channel resulting in a nuclear fuel characterized by enhanced thermal conductivity. This reduces the energy stored in the fuel thus increasing the grace period in case of an accident. Few experimental data are today available on this type of fuels....
Introduction
Since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the vulnerability of current fuel designs under severe accident conditions has been widely recognized. As a result, alternative and advanced fuel designs that offer greater resistance to fuel failure and hydrogen production have been actively explored. In this context, at the request of Member States, the IAEA has organized several...
The behavior of fuel and thermal-hydraulics is strongly interdependent during transient conditions. In particular, during a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA), the cladding temperature and internal rod pressure increase significantly due to the loss of effective heat removal by the coolant. This can lead to severe cladding deformation. If the cladding undergoes large deformation or rupture, it...
The paper presents the work carried out within the framework of the OFFERR European User Facility Network, aimed at evaluating the mechanical behaviour of unirradiated Cr-coated and uncoated E110-like cladding under mandrel loading conditions. Experiments were conducted at 25 and 300°C, and the cladding response was preliminary simulated using the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code. Two...
FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATION OF MANDREL TEST WITH ATF CLADDING
H. Yousefi1,2, R. Lo Frano1, M. Király2, Z. Hózer2, L. Tatár2, F. D’Auria1, D. Antok2, N. Forgione1
1 University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
2 HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, Atomic Energy Research Institute, Budapest, Hungary
Corresponding author: R. Lo Frano, rosa.lo.frano@unipi.it
INTRODUCTION: Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF)...
In response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the development of advanced technology and accident tolerance fuels (ATFs) aims to enhance accident tolerance. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Testing and Simulations for ATFs (ATF-TS) in 2020, which consists in four key Work Tasks (WTs) [1]. The work task 3 aims at development and...
In the frame of various Euratom and other international projects, (enhanced) accident tolerant fuel properties (ATF) have been implemented in the TRANSURANUS fuel rod performance code of the JRC. The impact of ATF has been addressed in different studies by means of the TRANSURANUS code. In the first study the focused was on steady-state performance in a case of the coordinated research project...
ADVANCEMENTS IN HYDROGEN-BASED
TRANSIENT CLADDING STRAIN LIMITS
TO SUPPORT ACCIDENT TOLERANT FUEL
MICHAEL R. ORNER
Westinghouse Electric Company
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, United States
Email: ornermr@westinghouse.com
BRIAN L. MOUNT
Dominion Energy
Glen Allen, Virginia, United States
Email: brian.l.mount@dominionenergy.com
Corresponding author: MICHAEL R. ORNER,...
Following the successful Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on Fuel Modelling in Accident Conditions (FUMAC) [1][2], the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) initiated a new CRP ATF-TS in 2021 to support the development and evaluation of Advanced Technology and Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATFs) [2].
TRACTEBEL's contribution to the CRP ATF-TS focused on developing a methodology to assess...
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Enhanced accident tolerant fuel (EATF) were developed in the wake of Fukushima accident to provide some delays in case of severe accident. Today the highest TRL product is clearly coated cladding, more specifically chromium coated cladding.
EDF is currently investigating the benefits that would be provided by EATF in its own plants. Some lead test rods are irradiated. They reached their first...
In the era of rapidly advancing technologies, the capacity of regulatory bodies to conduct thorough and timely safety reviews has become increasingly critical. Approaches to evaluate novel nuclear fuel technologies vary across regulatory bodies; however, a shared objective remains to assess the safety benefits of advanced fuels, particularly Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATFs) and to shape future...
This paper overviews the impact of introducing Advanced Technology Fuels (ATFs) to SMRs (mainly water-cooled), in order to improve their performance while meeting their promised safety goals. Specifically, the application of coated zircaloy cladding, SiC cladding, helical-cruciform fuel, internally and externally cooled annular fuel, Thorium fuels, increasing the BWR and PWR lattice size will...
Global trends in the development of nuclear power plants are related to the increased electricity generation, improved efficiency, and the environmental attractiveness of nuclear power generation, and are aimed at:
- ensuring the reliability and safety of nuclear power plants, including the development and introduction of new fuel modifications;
- improving the economic efficiency of the...
In an age that advanced nuclear reactors are at the forefront of the research community, we should not forget that future of the nuclear industry heavily depends on the safe, reliable, economic operation of the current LWR fleet. With the advances in modeling and simulation techniques, methodologies, tools, and with the significant operating experience, LWR fleet capacity factor and...
OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF CR-COATED ACCIDENT TOLERANT FUEL CLADDING IN LARGE PWRS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SMR APPLICATIONS
Y. LEE1, D. KIM1, H. YOOK1, S. JOUNG1, H. RHO1, K. SHIM1, B. KWEON1
1Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Corresponding author: leeyouho@snu.ac.kr
After more than a decade of research into the performance of...
The Co-Chairs of the sessions to provide summaries of the session discussion.
The Workshop Co- Chairs to present the outcomes of the discussions and recommendations for future IAEA activities in the ATF area
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is developing micro-cell UO₂ pellets as a sintering material for accident-resistant nuclear fuel. Micro-cell sintered materials are composed of cell wall material formed by creating multiple membranes within the UO₂. The metal microcell sintered body improves the thermal conductivity of the UO₂ sintered body by connecting materials with high thermal...
In the United States, recent legislative actions and executive orders have spurred significant interest in utilizing advanced fuel technologies and analytical approaches to support power uprates and extended cycles at current operating boiling and pressurized water reactors. To facilitate efficient and timely licensing reviews while continuing to protect public health and safety, the U. S....
This study establishes a Zr-Cr diffusion mechanism model to quantitatively reveal Cr concentration profiles, ZrCr2 layer growth kinetics, and defect formation mechanisms based on an experimental investigation, providing theoretical support for failure prediction and emergency strategies in extreme conditions.
