Characterization of Unirradiated PCA2b Zircaloy Cladding for Belgian Spent Nuclear Fuel Management
As part of the national PHOENIX project focused on the medium- and long-term management of Belgian spent nuclear fuel, SCK CEN is leading the effort to build a comprehensive database of material properties representative of the Belgian fuel inventory. A key area of interest is the nuclear fuel cladding, which serves as the primary barrier against the release of radioactive substances during storage. Ensuring its integrity is critical for safe and effective fuel management.
Among the various Zircaloy grades used in Belgian reactors, the PCA-2b grade—originally fabricated by Siemens (now Framatome)—stands out due to the scarcity of publicly available data. In the coming years, several spent fuel rods made with PCA-2b cladding will be transported to SCK CEN for extensive testing. To support this future work, it is essential to first characterize the unirradiated PCA-2b material.
Recently, pristine PCA2b cladding samples were acquired from Framatome and are now awaiting detailed analysis at SCK CEN. This master thesis offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the foundational characterization of this material. The experimental work will include:
- Metallographic/crystallographic analysis and grain size determination using advanced techniques such as SEM-EBSD and XRD.
- Mechanical testing (e.g., tensile, compression, hardness) on samples fabricated from PCA-2b cladding tubes. Additionally, if time permits, finite element modeling (FEM) using ANSYS will be conducted to simulate mechanical tests and support the interpretation of experimental results.
- Chemical characterization using advanced techniques such as SEM-EDS, XRF and OES.
The results of this thesis will contribute to the creation of a reference database for unirradiated PCA-2b cladding, enabling future comparisons with irradiated material and supporting the efforts in nuclear fuel safety. Additionally, the data generated may be used as input for the Transuranus fuel performance code, aiding in predictive modeling of fuel behavior during irradiation and storage.