After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor) is scheduled to be treated with verification technology applied with ATF (Accident tolerant fuels) technology until 2028. Among nuclear power plant materials, nuclear fuel tubes must have resistance to accident situations as well as pressurized and high-temperature environments. In order to delay the accident of the Zr-alloy tube in the LOCA (loss-of-coolant accident) situation, research on surface coating and composition change is in progress. However, since Zr-alloy is used as the base material, it is very difficult to provide dramatic changes to overcome the nuclear accident. This Korean research team shows excellent thermal stability in the LOCA simulation situation for the swaging-drawing technology, which is the core technology to which the ATF technology is applied. In addition, SS-Zr-SS tube (SS316L/Zr-alloy/SS316L) exactly match the specifications of commercial Zr-alloy tubes for nuclear fuel and has the advantage of being a room temperature and mass production process. A swaging-drawing of an ultra-thin SS tube of about 70 micrometers was performed inside and outside, and thermal stability evaluation was performed in the LOCA simulation situation at 1,200°C. Oxidation was inhibited by the formation of Zr-nitride in the interfacial environment of SS and Zr. In theory, it was also confirmed that there was no decrease in the power generation output of a Fe-based alloy having a high neutron absorption cross-sectional area. In conclusion, the innovative swaging-drawing triple tube is expected to be an ATF application technology candidate for PWR, which has not only thermal stability but also accident resistance in the LOCA simulation situation.

Research on the thermal stability of swaging & drawing SS/Zr/SS in LOCA situation as innovation ATF cladding

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