Physical and mechanical properties of zirconium metal and its alloys such as resistance to corrosion in hot water,transparency to thermal neutron show its suitability as construction material in nuclear reactors as fuel cladding and pressure tube material in water cooled nuclear reactors.Presence of gaseous impurities like hydrogen,nitrogen and oxygen affect mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of zirconium metal and its alloys.For the production control and metallurgical evaluation of such effects,accurate and precise determination of these impurities is essential.Some selected samples of zirconium metal,its alloys,sponge zirconium,and ingot have been analyzed for the estimation of hydrogen,oxygen and nitrogen impurities in micro amount by melt extraction technique under argon and helium carrier gas stream for hydrogen,oxygen and nitrogen respectively.All the systems were completely optimized in different weight and temperature conditions and the accuracy of the results obtained was statistically evaluated at 5% confidence level.Non-metallic impurities in zirconium metal and alloy samples were found to be in the range of 16-56,45-118 and 1008-1826 ppm for hydrogen,nitrogen and oxygen respectively.
展开▼
