# US 11,443,857 B2 · Cold spray chromium coating for nuclear fuel rods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,443,857 B2 - Document ID: US11443857B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/573,544 - Filed: 2019-09-17 - Published: 2020-02-13 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-22 - Assignees: Westinghouse Electric Corp. - Applicants: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation - Inventors: Edward J. Lahoda; Peng Xu; Zeses Karoutas; Sumit Ray; Kumar Sridharan; Benjamin Maier; Greg Johnson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443857B2 ## CPC - G21C 3/07: characterised by their material, e.g. alloys - B32B 15/01: all layers being exclusively metallic {(making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00)} - C23C 24/08: by application of heat or pressure and heat (C23C24/04 takes precedence) - C23C 24/082: {without intermediate formation of a liquid in the layer} - C23C 24/087: {Coating with metal alloys or metal elements only} - C23C 30/00: Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process (C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence) - G21C 21/02: Manufacture of fuel elements or breeder elements contained in non-active casings - Y02E 30/30: Nuclear fission reactors - G21C: NUCLEAR REACTORS (fusion reactors, hybrid fission-fusion reactors G21B; nuclear explosives G21J) - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A zirconium alloy cladding tube for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor under normal operating conditions and under high temperature oxidation conditions is described. The cladding tube has a coating uniformly deposited thereon. The coating, which may be up to 300 microns thick, is selected from the group consisting of chromium, a chromium-based alloy, and combinations thereof. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cladding tube for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor comprising: a cladding tube formed from a substrate comprising a zirconium alloy and having a coating uniformly deposited on the substrate by a cold spray thermal deposition process comprising: heating a pressurized carrier gas to a temperature in a range of greater than 400° C. to 1200° C.; adding particles to the heated carrier gas, the particles being selected from the group consisting of pure chromium, chromium-based alloys, and combinations thereof, and having an average diameter of 20 microns or less; spraying the carrier gas and entrained particles onto the substrate at a velocity of 800 to 4000 ft/sec to form the coating on the substrate; and annealing the cladding tube in a temperature range of 200° C. to 800° C. wherein the coating is selected from the group consisting of chromium, a chromium-based alloy, and combinations thereof. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating is up to 300 microns thick. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating is a Cr-based alloy comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of silicon, yttrium, aluminum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and transition metal elements, at a combined content of 0.1 to 20 atomic %. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating is a Cr-based alloy comprising 80 to 99 atom % of chromium. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 5 microns to 100 microns. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 50 microns to 100 microns. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 100 microns to 300 microns. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating comprises equiaxed grains. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the coating comprises recrystallized grains. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The cladding tube recited in claim 1 wherein the cold spray deposition process further comprises heating the particles to a temperature in a range of ⅓ to ½ of a melting point of the particles based on the Kelvin temperature scale. ### Claim 11 A cladding tube for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor comprising: a cladding tube formed from a zirconium alloy and having a coating uniformly deposited thereon by a cold spray thermal deposition process comprising: heating a pressurized carrier gas to a temperature in a range of 200° C. to 1200° C.; adding particles to the heated carrier gas, the particles being selected from the group consisting of pure chromium, chromium-based alloys, and combinations thereof, and having an average diameter of 20 microns or less; spraying the carrier gas and entrained particles onto a substrate at a velocity of 800 to 4000 ft/sec to form the coating on the cladding tube; and following formation of the coating, annealing the cladding tube; wherein the coating comprises grains that are equiaxed, recrystallized, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating is up to 300 microns thick. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating is a Cr-based alloy comprising at least one element selected from the group consisting of silicon, yttrium, aluminum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, and transition metal elements, at a combined content of 0.1 to 20 atomic %. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating is a Cr-based alloy comprising 80 to 99 atom % of chromium. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 5 microns to 100 microns. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 50 microns to 100 microns. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating has a thickness in a range of 100 microns to 300 microns. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the annealing comprises heating the coating in a temperature range of 200° C. to 800° C. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating comprises equiaxed grains. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The cladding tube recited in claim 11 wherein the coating comprises recrystallized grains.