Deposition of Integrated Protective Material Into Zirconium Cladding for Nuclear Reactors by High-Velocity Thermal Application

摘要

A zirconium alloy nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding has an inner Zr substrate surface (10), an outer volume of protective material (22), and an integrated middle volume (20) of zirconium oxide, zirconium and protective material, where the protective material is applied by impaction at a velocity greater than 340 meters/second to provide the integrated middle volume (20) resulting in structural integrity for the cladding.

主权项

1. A method of forming an integrated gradient network of protective particles into the ZrO2 layer and base Zr tube of nuclear reactor cladding comprising the steps of:
a) providing a Zr alloy nuclear reactor cladding having a ZrO2 outer layer; b) providing a protective material; d) loading the protective material into a hybrid thermal-kinetic spray deposition or cold spray apparatus; and e) impacting the nuclear reactor cladding with the protective material to impact at a velocity greater than sound through the ZrO2 layer and into the base Zr alloy to provide an integrated gradient network of protective particles, protective particles plus ZrO2 and Zr and a base Zr.