Corrosion and Hydriding of Zirconium Alloys

摘要

The recent trends in the nuclear industry towards higher fuel discharge burn-ups for better fuel usage, higher heat ratings and coolant temperatures for better thermal efficiency have significantly increased the technical interest in the study of corrosion behaviour of zirconium alloys. This paper discusses (i) the mechanisms of various modes of corrosion as well as the optimization of chemical composition with respect to corrosion resistance and flaw tolerance,(ii) the applicability of short term accelerated laboratory corrosion tests to predict long term performance in the reactor and (iii) the mechanisms and factors controlling hydrogen-induced damages namely, delayed hydride cracking and hydride blistering and their non-destructive evaluation.