Back to results
US 5,247,550 AGranted
Corrosion resistant zirconium liner for nuclear fuel rod cladding
AssigneeSiemens Power Corporation
InventorsRichard A. Perkins, Raymond A. Busch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cladding tube for nuclear fuel having an outer elongated cladding tube and a zirconium liner which lines the outer cladding tube, the inner wall of the liner having an inner diffusion portion of a zirconium based alloy of tin and/or vanadium.
Claims43
A nuclear reactor fuel rod cladding tube for nuclear fuel, comprising:
- an outer elongated metallic cladding tube;
- a zirconium cladding liner having an inner wall, the outer elongated metallic cladding tube being lined internally with the cladding liner, the cladding liner having an inner diffusion portion formed in and extending in from the inner wall, the inner diffusion portion comprising a zirconium based alloy selected from the group of zirconium-tin alloys, zirconium-vanadium alloys, and zirconium-tin-vanadium alloys, the balance being zirconium with the impurities normally occurring in the zirconium cladding liner.
A nuclear fuel element comprising:
- a cladding tube comprising:
- an outer elongated metallic cladding tube;
- a zirconium cladding liner having an inner wall, the outer elongated metallic cladding tube being lined internally with the cladding liner, the cladding liner having an inner diffusion portion formed in and extending into the inner wall, the inner diffusion portion comprising a zirconium based alloy selected from the group of zirconium-tin alloys, zirconium vanadium alloys and zirconium-tin-vanadium alloys, the balance being zirconium with the impurities normally occurring in the zirconium cladding liner;
- a plurality of fuel pellets arranged within the cladding tube so as to leave an annular gap between the inner wall of the zirconium cladding liner;
- sealing means for sealing the ends of the cladding tube;
- and
- holding means for holding the fuel pellets within the cladding tube.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.