Fuel rod with a shell of a zirconium alloy and containing a metal oxide for limiting the hydrogenation

摘要

Method of fabricating a fuel rod, comprising providing an effective amount of a metal oxide in the fuel rod to generate steam and mitigate the tendency for secondary hydriding. The metal oxide may be selected from oxides of iron, nickel, tin, bismuth, copper, cobalt, chromium, manganese and combinations of such oxides. The metal oxides may be present as a coating on an interior surface of the cladding of the fuel rod, as a coating on fuel pellet surfaces or as individual pellets or wafers in the fuel pellet stack. Fuel rods fabricated according to the method of the invention are also provided.