Effects of temperature and pressure on the in-reactor creepdown of Zircaloy fuel cladding

Descriptions and results for seven of the eight in-reactor creepdown tests of Zircaloy fuel cladding, which were part of a joint program between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland, are presented. These tests were conducted to study the behavior of Zircaloy fuel cladding under conditions that approximate those found in an operating pressurized-water power reactor. The most important conclusion to be drawn from this study involves the deformation of the cladding during testing. Contrary to similar tests conducted out-of-reactor, the in-reactor specimens did not deform uniformly, that is, by diametral contraction and smooth ovalization. Rather, the deformation surfaces were nonuniform with hills and valleys being formed at irregular intervals. This implies that conventional concepts of creep rate and simplified modeling procedures will not work for predicting cladding behavior. Sufficient data have been generated in this program to supply modelers with detailed descriptions of the cladding surface shapes from which new interpretations can be derived to predict cladding behavior