Assessment of Deformation Behavior of Zr-2.5Nb Alloy during Thermo-mechanical Processing and under Service Condition

摘要

Zirconium alloy tubes act as miniature pressure vessels in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors and are manufactured following a series of thermo-mechanical processing steps under optimized conditions which imparts the desirable microstructure and initial mechanical properties to the components under the most demanding service conditions inside a nuclear reactor. The service environment (temperature, stress, corrosion, and irradiation) leads to changes in dimensions (creep and growth); degradation in mechanical properties; modification in microstructure and to pick up of hydrogen. This paper summarizes various issues related to structural integrity of this important component with emphasis on deformation behavior during processing and service and hydrogen related embritllement.