Deposition of integrated protective material into zirconium cladding for nuclear reactors by high-velocity thermal application

Abstract

A zirconium alloy nuclear reactor cylindrical cladding has an inner Zr substrate surface, an outer volume of protective material, and an integrated middle volume 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 resulting in structural integrity for the cladding.

Claims

1. A method of forming an integrated gradient network of protective particles into a ZrO.sub.2 layer and a base Zr tube of a nuclear reactor cladding, the integrated gradient network having an inner surface and an inner volume of a layer of zirconium alloy, an outer surface and an outer volume of a layer of a protective material and an integrated middle volume of a layer of a combination of zirconium oxide, zirconium and excess sound velocity-impacted protective material, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a Zr alloy nuclear reactor cladding having a Zr base alloy layer and a ZrO.sub.2 outer layer; b) providing a protective material comprised of Zr—Al alloy particles; c) loading the protective material into a hybrid thermal-kinetic spray deposition or cold spray apparatus; and d) impacting the nuclear reactor cladding with the protective material to impact at a velocity greater than sound and sufficient to penetrate through the ZrO.sub.2 layer and into the Zr base alloy layer to provide an integrated gradient network of a layer of protective Zr—Al alloy particles, the layer of the combination of protective particles, ZrO.sub.2 and Zr, and the Zr base alloy layer; wherein the highest density of protective material is at the cladding outer surface to protect the cladding from the reactor environment and any further oxidation of the zirconium; and wherein the integrated middle volume provides structural integrity for the cladding.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the impacting velocity is 3½ times greater than 340 m/s.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising heating the nuclear reactor cladding prior to impacting the nuclear reactor cladding with the protective material.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the heating step heats an outer surface of the nuclear reactor cladding between 200° C. to 400° C.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the impacting step is carried out with a hybrid thermal-kinetic deposition process.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the impacting step is carried out with a cold spray deposition process.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the cold spray process is carried out at a temperature between 250° C. and 1200° C.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the protective material has a particle size of approximately between 1 and 500 micrometers.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the impacting step is performed in an inert environment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) A further understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is an idealized schematic cross-section of a prior art protective coated nuclear cladding;

(3) FIG. 2 is an idealized schematic cross-section of the protective integrated gradient network mixing with ZrO.sub.2 and penetrating into the Zr substrate;

(4) FIG. 3A is one embodiment of a schematic cross-section of a zirconium alloy nuclear sheath composite having at least two sheaths, the composite containing zirconium oxide scale on its outside surface; fuel pellets would be contained in the center of the sheath;

(5) FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-section of the sheath of FIG. 3A where, for sake of simplicity, one sheath is shown; the sheath being impinged by titanium-based or iron-based particles, or Zr—Al alloy particles at a high velocity from a particle source onto a heated zirconium surface of FIG. 3A;

(6) FIG. 3C is the finalized zirconium alloy nuclear sheath of FIG. 3B where the particles impinge the oxide coated tube and ultimately crater into the zirconium by penetrating and mixing with the oxide scale, forming a gradient of particles into the intermediate/middle layer of the zirconium alloy sheath; and

(7) FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic flow diagram of the method of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(8) We have discovered a hybrid kinetic-thermal deposition process in conjunction with Ti—Al—C ceramics (such as Ti.sub.2AlC or some other elemental variant thereof) or iron-based alloys (which may be amorphous, semi-amorphous, or metallic alloys that may contain additional elements such as Al or C or Cr), Nanosteel®, or a Zr—Al alloy that can be used to form an integrated gradient layer comprised of the ceramic or metallic alloy mixed with the surface oxide, which penetrates in the zirconium substrate to form a robust adherent matrix that protects the zirconium metal from destructive bulk oxidation when exposed to reactor conditions. This deposition approach uses a combination of heat and kinetic energy to propel the ceramic or metallic alloy into the surface of the substrate. The material may be heated above its melting point during the deposition process, however, this is not a functional requirement of forming the gradient layer, and as such, the embodiment of this invention includes deposition below or above the melting point of the deposition material. A schematic of the deposition technique is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(9) In general, the invention utilizes thermal-kinetic deposition (including a cold spray application) to form mixed iron-based glassy amorphous/semi-amorphous/metallic alloy-ZrO.sub.2 gradients or mixed Ti—Al—C ceramic-ZrO.sub.2 or Nanosteel® gradients, or Zr—Al alloy gradients into, not just onto, the surface of nuclear grade zirconium cladding. Oxidation resistant iron based alloys or Ti—Al—C based ceramics, or alloys of Zr—Al are distributed directly into/within/penetrating the oxide layer that is present on all unprotected zirconium surfaces. The presence of this deposited network results in a gradient emanating from the cladding surface which effectively eliminates bulk oxidation and hydriding of the zirconium upon exposure to pressurized water (PWR) or boiling water reactor (BWR) conditions. The deposition technique itself is a hybrid thermal-kinetic or cold spray process in which the materials are heated and propelled in some optimized fashion towards the Zr substrate. The term “hybrid kinetic-thermal deposition” is defined as a process in which a high velocity gas propels particles of the protective material into the surface oxide and underlying bulk zirconium layers at a velocity greater than sound (>340 m/s). The particle sizes are chosen to be large enough to deeply penetrate the boundary layer formed by the flowing gas jet around the tube, the oxide layer and the unoxidized tube alloy material, but small enough to interact with the structural material of the tube and the other protective particles to form an impermeable protective layer.

(10) This may or may not melt the material as it is deposited, depending on the application temperature. The thermal-kinetic or cold spray application in combination with either of the aforementioned materials results in an oxide free interface between the zirconium and the reactor environment. As such, the zirconium cladding is imparted with enhanced corrosion resistance, providing significant improvement in performance and safety.

(11) Applicable protective particle size is 1-500 micrometers for both cold or hot techniques. Cold spray temperatures are 250° C.-1,200° C. Material is propelled using a pressurized inert gas (to prevent excessive oxidation of the zirconium surface) such as N.sub.2, He, or Ar. Typical spray velocities exceed the speed of sound >340 m/s. HVOF (high velocity oxygen fuel) and application temperature is 800° C.-2,800° C. The velocity of the spray exceeds the speed of sound, >340 m/s, preferably 400 m/s to 1,200 m/s, most preferably 450 m/s to 1,000 m/s. Kerosene is one propellant material, while other species such as propylene, acetylene, natural gas, or other combustible gases or liquids can also be used. HVOF (or cold spray) may also be done while surrounding the substrate in an inert environment to reduce or eliminate surface oxidation during deposition.

(12) Referring now to FIG. 1 which shows prior art discrete coating on a ZrO.sub.2 layered ZrO surface. The surface in this case is the top half of a nuclear cladding tube. The Zr substrate is shown as 10, and the ZrO.sub.2 layer (surface oxide) as 14 and the discrete top protective coating layer as 16.

(13) FIG. 2 is a general schematic of the subject invention, with Zr substrate 10, deposited material mix of protective material +ZrO.sub.2 penetrating into the Zr substrate—all shown as 20 and high density outer portion of protective material as 22.

(14) The coating approach of prior art FIG. 1 only applies material on top of the ZrO.sub.2 layer, resulting in poor adhesion and potential failure. The integrated deposition technique of this invention, FIGS. 2 and 3, mixes oxidation resistant material directly into the ZrO.sub.2 layer which ultimately penetrates into the Zr substrate itself resulting in strong adhesion and a dense oxidation resistant surface that protects the underlying substrate from the reactor environment. There is substantial “cratering” of the material through the ZrO.sub.2 clue to the kinetic force with which the protective material is applied. It arrives with sufficient kinetic energy/force to penetrate the thin oxide layer that exists on the cladding surface.

(15) FIGS. 3A-3C show the process and result of this invention in more detail. FIG. 3A is a schematic of a cylindrical zirconium alloy nuclear reactor cladding 30 having an axis 32 in a normal environment of H.sub.2O during operation or, normal ambient air, where invariably an oxide coating 34 grows, in this case ZrO.sub.2 since the cladding 30 is made of greater than 95% Zr alloy 36. The cylinder bore is shown as 38. This is the starting situation. The oxide coating/layer 34 is generally 10 nanometers thick, which translates to several atomic layers of ZrO.sub.2 if only exposed to air and is comprised of a reasonably tight but still porous ZrO.sub.2 coating adhering to the top surface 40 of the cladding before use.

(16) FIG. 3B illustrates the process of “high velocity,” meaning up to 3½ times the speed of sound, impacting of the protective material 42 using thermal-kinetic deposition techniques, which in some cases can be first used to initially heat the reactor cladding to an outer top surface temperature from 200° C. to 400° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, with the interior remaining substantially cooler, and impact the protective material at a velocity greater than the speed of sound >340 meters/second, which velocity and heating combine to effect extremely high impact directly through the ZrO.sub.2 scale 34 and deep into the Zr alloy 36 forming substantial cratering and an adherent network, shown in FIG. 3C.

(17) The particle size of the protective material should be relatively large to create massive impact and substantial cratering of the Zr alloy 36 but small enough to allow particle to particle interactions to form a tight, impermeable layer. The particle size is generally from 1 micrometers to 500 micrometers, preferably from 10 micrometers to 100 micrometers. Under 1 micrometers, the impact effect will be less effective leading to excessive particle loss and insufficient penetration.

(18) The protective particles can be either Ti.sub.xAl.sub.yC.sub.z ceramic where x=2 to 4; y=1 to 1 and z=1 to 3; or iron-based alloy Fe.sub.xAl.sub.yCr.sub.z(G) where x=0 to 70, y=0 to 30, and z=0 to 30 and (G) is comprised of any number of minor constituents that may include the elements Ni, Si, Mn, Mo, P, S, Co, W, B, or C. The protective particles can also be Nanosteel® which has the composition: material chemistry (wt %); Cr<25%; W<15%; Nb<12%; Mo<6%; B<5%; C<4%; Mn<3%; Si<2%; and Fe balance. Additionally, the deposited particles could have a formulation that is comprised of a Zr—Al alloy, where Al may comprise up to 99.9 atom % of the alloy. However, the preferred protective particles are Ti—Al—C, and the most preferred formulation is Ti.sub.2AlC. Ti.sub.2AlC is preferred because it is corrosion resistant to >1,250° C. These integrated protective layers also serve to improve the fuel reliability and the fuel cycle economics because they are hard and resist wear. In addition, these layers have a very high temperature capability that enables better corrosion resistance, and consequently are more accident-tolerant at high temperature accident conditions.

(19) Referring now to FIG. 3C, the final hybrid thermal-kinetic deposited protective gradient nuclear reactor cladding. As can be seen, the protective material 42 permeates/infiltrates as an integrated gradient network. As can be seen, the protective material 42 has penetrated the oxide coating 34 shown in disarray and intermixed with the protective material in an intermediate portion Z, where X is the total diameter of the nuclear reactor cladding 30, while Y is the diameter of the cylindrical bore 38 and Q is the outer portion mixture of ZrO.sub.2 and protective material with the highest density of protective material being at the final exterior 44 of the nuclear reactor cladding. Reactor coolant water is shown by arrow 46. As a means of judging distances, if X−Y=1,000 units; 2 Z=1 to 10 units=impregnation; and Q=100 to 600 units of outer particles+oxide+Zr alloy.

(20) Referring to FIG. 4, the method of the invention is schematically shown. In that FIG. 4, a cladding material is provided 60. Optionally, heating 62 the nuclear reactor cladding. Loading protective material into a hybrid thermal-kinetic deposition or cold thermal spray apparatus 64. Impacting at high velocity 66 the nuclear reactor cladding with the protective material, to impact through the ZrO.sub.2 layer and into the base Zr tube as shown in FIG. 3C; providing an integrated gradient network 68 of protective particles, protective particles plus ZrO.sub.2 and Zr and a base Zr.

EXAMPLES

(21) Multiple zirconium “coupons” that were 48 mm long, 10 mm wide, and 3 mm thick were deposited with oxidation resistant material using the process described in the previous paragraphs. Ti.sub.2AlC was deposited using HVOF (high velocity oxygen fuel) on the coupons at a flame temperature of about 5,000° F. (2,760° C.), although the particle temperature did not tend to reach this value. Kerosene was used as the fuel. The Ti.sub.2AlC particle size range was 10 μm-60 μm and the spray velocity was approximately 2,000 ft/s-2,700 ft/s (600 m/s-800 m/s). The nozzle technology used in this spray process mimics that of a rocket engine.

(22) Nanosteel® powder with a nominal size of 15 μm-53 μm was applied using a cold spray (which is also a type of hybrid thermal-kinetic deposition method) technique with a deposition temperature that ranged between 932° F.-1,652° F. (500° C. and 900° C.), although the particle temperature did not tend to reach this value. The cold spray particle velocity had a range between 2,230 ft/s and 3,500 ft/s (680 m/s-1,050 m/s) and was executed using pressurized nitrogen gas.

(23) In both applications, the zirconium coupons were not purposely heated during the deposition process. The zirconium coupons were then placed in an autoclave for 28 days at 800° F. (426.6° C.) and 1,500 psia to simulate accelerated exposure to the high-temperature and pressure conditions of a nuclear reactor. The results of these autoclave tests show that the deposition technique in concert with materials described above can prevent bulk oxidation of the zirconium surface in a reactor environment. Photomicrographs showed a gradient/impregnation impinging into the zirconium “coupons” mixing with the zirconium oxide, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3C.

(24) While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular embodiments disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.