Gen IV SCWR cladding analysis project: Nickel content in SCWR cladding material

The greater demands on materials in next generation power reactor concepts require exploration of new alloys. Nickel alloys are known to have superior thermal-hydraulic qualities, but perform poorly under neutron bombardment. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and the University of Saskatchewan Department of Physics and Engineering Physics collaborated on a project to study the effects of nickel content in candidate fuel cladding materials. Simulations of each alloy in the reactor environment were carried out to determine the thermal-hydraulic and neutronic characteristics. As well, samples of the candidate alloys were placed in an AutoClave to determine the corrosion characteristics. From the results of these tests, an alloy containing 9% nickel had the best overall performance, but alloys with nickel content up to 56% were also effective.