ASSESSMENT AT CEA OF COATED NUCLEAR FUEL CLADDING FOR LWRS WITH INCREASED MARGINS IN LOCA AND BEYOND LOCA CONDITIONS

摘要

Significant improvement in the safety of light water reactors should be achieved by the use of alternative cladding materials which are more robust than those currently serving as the first fuel containment barrier, in Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) and beyond-LOCA conditions. CEA is assessing the solution of a coated cladding aiming to protect the current zirconium alloy cladding from high temperature steam oxidation. The present paper particularly focuses on some recent results obtained at CEA on Cr coated Zircaloy-4 base materials that have experienced several hours exposure under steam at 1000°C ("post-breakaway" conditions for the bare Zircaloy-4 material).