Method for production of a fuel casing tube for a nuclear reactor and tube obtained thus

• Main Author: BARBERIS PIERRE,MARDON JEAN-PAUL,REBEYROLLE VERONIQUE,AUBIN JEAN-LUC
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.07.2007
• Subjects: ALLOYS; CHANGING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF NON-FERROUS METALS ANDNON-FERROUS ALLOYS; CHEMISTRY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; METALLURGY; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS

The invention relates to a method for production of a fuel casing tube for a nuclear reactor, characterised by the preparation of an ingot of an alloy of zirconium with the following composition by weight %: 0.8 % <= Nb <= 2.8 %, traces <= Sn <= 0.65 %, 0.015 % <= Fe <= 0.40 %, C <= 100ppm, 600ppm <= O <= 2300ppm, 5ppm <= S <= 100ppm, Cr + V <= 0.25 %, Hf <= 75ppm, F <= 1ppm the remainder being zirconium and impurities arising from production, the ingot is then subjected to forging, a hardening and thermomoechanical treatments comprising cold laminations separated by intermediate annealing all intermediate annealing being carried out at a temperature below the alpha to alpha + beta transition temperature of the alloy, finishing with a recrystallisation annealing and resulting in the production of a tube, whereupon an optional external cleaning of the tube is carried out and a mechanical polishing of the external surface of the tube is carried out to give a roughness Ra less than or equal to 0,5mum. The invention further relates to a fuel cladding tube obtained thus.