Experimental characterization of Zircaloy-4 sheet deformation during combined hydriding and corrosion

In the frame of its research activity on nuclear fuel safety, the French “Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire” (IRSN) has been investigating the dimensional stability of fuel assemblies in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). Under normal operating conditions, the dimensional stability is an important performance issue for light water reactor fuel assemblies. The dimensional change results from a combined influence of oxidation, hydriding, irradiation growth and irradiation creep. In the present work, detailed studies carried out on zirconium alloys address the combined influence of oxide layer growth, hydride precipitation and thermal creep. In order to quantify the contribution of each parameter, three kinds of experiments were performed on samples cut in a recrystallized Zircaloy-4 sheet: hydrogen gaseous charging, air oxidation and steam oxidation. These experiments confirm the influence of hydrogen on sample deformation during oxidation. A basic understanding of the key mechanisms affecting the sample strain is proposed.