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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	EP/M018814/1
Title	Understanding the In-Reactor Performance of Advanced Ceramic Cladding Materials
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fission, Light-water reactors (LWRs)) 100%;
Research Types	Basic and strategic applied research 50%; Applied Research and Development 50%;
Science and Technology Fields	PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 25%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 75%;
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Professor TJ Abram No email address given Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering University of Manchester
Award Type	Standard
Funding Source	EPSRC
Start Date	01 July 2015
End Date	31 August 2018
Duration	38 months
Total Grant Value	£244,598
Industrial Sectors	Energy
Region	North West
Programme	Energy : Energy
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Professor TJ Abram , Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester (99.999%)
	Other Investigator	Dr JA (Julie ) Yeomans , Mechanical, Medical, and Aerospace Engineering, University of Surrey (0.001%)
	Industrial Collaborator	Project Contact , Rolls-Royce PLC (0.000%)
Web Site
Objectives
Abstract	Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) are fuel designs typically intended for use in Light Water Reactors (LWRs), which comprise around 90% of the world's nuclear generating capacity. They offer significantly improved high temperature capability, due largely to the adoption of novel cladding materials, notably ceramic cladding. International fuel vendors are interested in commercialising ATF for both existing and new LWRs, but only after the gaps in technology readiness have been addressed. The aim of the research is therefore to establish the satisfactory performance of advanced ceramic cladding materials that are capable of surviving to temperatures typical of those encountered during severe accident conditions - typically around 1700 deg C. This is achieved by replacing the traditional zirconium-alloy fuel cladding with a composite ceramic cladding that is capable of surviving much higher temperatures. This would provide a very significant increase in safety compared with existing fuels, and hence provide a competitive advantage to UK fuel manufacturers. The work will focus on the performance of joined and bonded SiC-SiC composite cladding under conditions representative of those found in nuclear reactor cores.Silicon carbide has been shown to be stable under irradiation, and has very high temperature capabilities, but it has two major difficulties.1. The cladding must provide a gas-tight tube capable of accommodating the fuel pellets and retaining the gaseous fission products. This requires the sealing of the ends of the tube with a high-integrity joint. However, SiC cannot be welded, and previous attempts to produce mechanical and glued joints have failed.2. Being a ceramic, SiC has very low fracture toughness, and it must be maintained in compression to provide sufficient mechanical strength. This can be achieved by winding the hollow SiC tube with SiC fibres that keep the tube in compression. However, a suitable means must be found of bonding the fibres to the underlying tube.Recent work at Manchester has identified two promising solutions to these difficulties: the use of laser-induced ceramic brazing to produce a gas-tight seal; and the use of Selective Area Laser Deposition (SALD) to produce a deposit of SiC that can act as a bond between SiC fibres and the underlying tube. These techniques have been demonstrated at laboratory scales, but the braze and bond materials have not been demonstrated under conditions representative of in-reactor service. The principal objectives of the work are therefore to demonstrate that the brazed joints and bonded fibres are capable of surviving under in-reactor conditions.
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	01/10/15