Evaluation of conditions for hydrogen induced degradation of zirconium alloys during fuel operation and storage

Summarizes the research work undertaken as part of an IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on evaluation of conditions for hydrogen-induced degradation of zirconium alloys during fuel operation and storage, and includes details of the experimental procedures to evaluate the threshold condition for delayed hydride cracking that led to a set of data for these materials.

---

This publication reports on the work carried out in 2011-2015 in the coordinated research project (CRP) on the evaluation of conditions for hydrogen induced degradation of zirconium alloys during fuel operation and storage. The CRP was carried out to evaluate the threshold condition for delayed hydride cracking (KIH) in pressurised water reactors and zircaloy-4 and E635M fuel claddings, with application to in-pile operation and spent fuel storage. The project consisted of adding hydrogen to samples of cladding and measuring KIH by one of four methods.