End Closure Welding of SFR Metallic Fuel Rod by GTAW

The Gen-IV program was started by eleven countries from 2000 for the development of innovative nuclear energy system with the goals, safety, economics, resource utilization, waste management, proliferation resistance and physical protection (PR-PP). The sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) system is among the six systems selected for Gen-IV promising systems and expected to be deployed in 2020. For the fabrication of SFR metallic fuel rods, the end plug welding is a crucial process. The sealing of end plug to cladding tube should be hermetically perfect to prevent a leakage of fission gases and to maintain a good reactor performance. In this study, the welding technique, welding equipment, welding conditions and parameters were developed for the end closure of SFR metallic fuel rods. The gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) technique was adopted and the welding joint design was developed. And the optimal welding conditions and parameters were established. For end closure welding of SFR metallic fuel rod, the welding technique, welding equipment, welding conditions and parameters were developed. The GTAW technique was adopted and the welding joint design was improved. And the optimal welding conditions and parameters were well established