About this Abstract |
Meeting |
2021 AWS Professional Program
|
Symposium
|
2021 AWS Professional Program
|
Presentation Title |
Zirconium Hydride Cladding with FeCrAl Alloy and Characterization |
Author(s) |
Wei Tang, Xunxiang Hu, Roger Miller, David Sprouster |
On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Wei Tang |
Abstract Scope |
Due to its very low neutron absorption cross section, zirconium hydride (ZrHx) is particularly attractive to thermal reactor systems in which core weight and volume need to be minimized, where they serve as a constituent in fuels and in moderator and shield materials. However, deployment of ZrHx moderator directly at high temperature is challenging due to the thermally-driven hydrogen desorption, and materials with low hydrogen permeability are needed to clad onto ZrHx to mitigate the hydrogen loss from hydrides. In this presentation, FeCrAl developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was used as the ZrHx hydrogen permeation barrier, and electron beam welding (EBW) and laser beam welding (LBW) were adopted for the cladding process. Different FeCrAl crucible designs with various surface conditions were used, and the ZrHx cylinder was sealed inside the FeCrAl crucible with 1 ATM helium condition by EBW and LBW. Helium leak test, X-ray diffraction, and X-computed tomography were performed on the FeCrAl crucibles containing ZrHx. Hydrogen release at elevated temperatures was measured directly by thermal desorption spectroscopy. Effects of welding heat input on the ZrHx cylinder and effects of FeCrAl crucible surface condition on hydrogen release are discussed. The study was supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program: Modeling-Enhanced Innovations Trailblazing Nuclear Energy Reinvigoration (MEITNER) under contract DE-AR0000977. |
Proceedings Inclusion? |
Definite: Other |