Manufacture and testing of zirconium alloys tubes for nuclear reactor fuel elements

摘要

The fuel elements of modern nuclear re-actors are critical parts; their reliability in service is in many respects dependent on the strength and structural uniformity of the materials used for their manufacture [1]. Materials of this sort are usually selected with due regard to the kinetics of nuclear reactions. These are precipitation-hardened zirconium-base alloys containing Nb in amounts of 1 - 2.5 %, Moreover, Fe, Sn and O are used as alloying additions for a range of materials; they cause precipitation of intermetallic compounds and oxides microparticulates with resultant precipitation hardening of the material. Zirconium is noted for a transition that occurs at 1085 K from the low-temperature hexagonal close-packed a-phase to the high-temperature body-centered-cubic beta-phase.