Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding Tube Irradiations in the HFIR

摘要

This work summarizes experimental designs for irradiating SiC and metallic (FeCrAl and Zr-alloy) cladding specimens under representative LWR conditions including temperatures of 300-350 ℃ and, in some cases, a prototypic heat flux through the cladding thickness. The designs use relatively inexpensive rabbit capsules that can be irradiated in the HFIR at a very high neutron flux with good temperature control. This approach allows for rapid testing of a large test matrix, thus reducing the time and cost for moving advanced cladding materials closer to commercialization.