US 2008/0165912 A1Published application

Clad tube for nuclear fuel

AssigneeBWX Technologies, Inc.

InventorsWilliam J. Carmack, Lewis C. Hartless, Jeffrey A. Halfinger

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Abstract

A rhenium lined niobium alloy tube for use as a clad tube for nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor. The tube is produced by an electro deposit process. A graphite mandrel is placed in the electro deposit chamber as the cathode material. Refined rhenium stock is used as the anode material. The chamber is filled with the chloride electrolyte. The chamber is closed and the electrolyte bath is heated. Current and voltage applied across the anode and cathode cause the rhenium to be deposited on the mandrel. Refined niobium alloy is then used as the anode material and applied over the rhenium on the mandrel to a desired thickness. The part is removed from the chamber and ground to the desired outside diameter. The graphite mandrel is removed from the tube.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A clad tube for nuclear fuel made by the process comprising steps:

a. placing a graphite mandrel in an electro deposit chamber as the cathode material;
b. placing rhenium stock in the electro deposit chamber as the anode material;
c. filling the electro deposit chamber with chloride electrolyte;
d. closing the electro deposit chamber;
e. heating the electrolyte bath to a desired temperature;
f. depositing rhenium on the mandrel to a desired thickness by applying current and voltage across the anode and cathode;
g. machining the rhenium on the mandrel to a final desired close tolerance dimension;
h. placing niobium alloy stock containing zirconium in the electro deposit chamber as the anode;
i. heating the electrolyte bath to a desired temperature;
j. depositing niobium alloy over the rhenium to a desired thickness by applying current and voltage across the anode and cathode while creating an atomic level bonded interface;
k. removing the mandrel from the electro deposit chamber and grinding the formed clad tube for nuclear fuel to a desired outer diameter;
and
l. removing the formed tube from the mandrel.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/730,612Filed 8 Dec 2003
Published: 10 Jul 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

G21C 3/07
Casings; Jackets: characterised by their material, e.g. alloys
C25D 1/02
Electroforming: tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies
C25D 1/20
Electroforming: separation of the formed objects from the electrodes with no destruction of said electrodes
C25D 5/54
Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces: electroplating of non-metallic surfaces