Nuclear fuel rod with wear-inhibiting coating

• Main Authors: WHITE, DAVID WILLIAM, PATTERSON, CHARLES BEATY, GRAY, DENNIS MICHAEL, KIM, YOUNG JIN, ANDRESEN, PETER LOUIS, LIN, YANG-PI, CURTIS, TODD CHARLES
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 21.01.2009
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING; NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR REACTORS; PHYSICS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

A fuel rod (16) includes a cladding tube (22) with a wear-inhibiting coating (26). In one embodiment, the coating (26) is made of a metallic powder material (28) that is applied to the exterior surface of the cladding tube (22) using a thermal spray process. In an alternative embodiment, the coating (26) is a composite made of a metallic powder material (30), and a ceramic powder material or a metal oxide hard phase powder material (32) that is simultaneously applied with the metallic powder material (30) to coat the cladding tube (22). The coating (26) can be applied to selected areas of the fuel rods (16) where debris tends to fret the fuel rod (16).