Fuel rod for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly

Fuel rod for a nuclear reactor fuel assembly with nuclear fuel which is contained in a cladding tube formed of a zirconium alloy with alloying components based on the weight of the zirconium alloy of 1.2 to 1.7% tin, 0.07 to 0.2% iron, 0.05 to 0.15% chromium, 0.03 to 0.08% nickel, 0.07 to 0.15% oxygen, with the sum of percentages for the alloying components iron, chromium and nickel in the range of 0.18 to 0.38%;

• and with a surface layer on the outside of the cladding tube formed of a second zirconium alloy with a layer thickness in the range of 5 to 20% of the total wall thickness of the cladding tube as well as with 0 to 1% by weight iron based on the second zirconium alloy as an alloying component and with at least one alloying component selected from the group consisting of vanadium, platinum and copper wherein the amounts by weight based on the second zirconium alloy are:
• vanadium--0.1 to 1%;
• platinum--0.1 to 1%;
• and copper--1 to 3%.