Schwarz, C.MLZ* ; Baumeister, B.MLZ* ; Fuchs, E.MLZ* ; Fisher-Skipper, L.MLZ* ; Petry, W.MLZ* ; Lorand, S. ; Buducan, K.MLZ* ; Stepnik, B.

2022

ISBN: 978-92-95064-38-6

Abstract: In the EMPIrE irradiation test, two mini-size fuel plates with monolithic U-Mo and a PVD Zr coating have been successfully irradiated and showed promising results in non-destructive as well as destructive examinations. Since then, TUM’s PVD coating and Framatome-CERCA™’s C2TWP cladding process have been steadily improved and up-scaled to full-size geometry in preparation for the upcoming full-size irradiation test FUTURE-MONO-1.For the PVD device, the handling of the substrates has been enhanced step by step with different generations of substrate holders that now prevent the foils from bending, while still being able to apply a voltage to the substrate, which was shown to be a valuable tool for the controlled manipulation of coating properties. Finally, several batches of depleted U-10wt%Mo foils have been coated in order to investigate the influence of biasing voltage, Zr purity, coating thickness and quality of the bare U-Mo foils.At Framatome-CERCA™ the coated foils were cut to the right size by precision laser cutting and cladded with the C2TWP process. The produced plates were then investigated by ultrasound transmission scans and destructive examination, where a continuous improvement of the coating layer was observed.

Keyword(s): Engineering, Industrial Materials and Processing (1st) ; Nuclear Physics (2nd)

1. CNSI-LABS (HEUMEULAB ; CNSI-LABS)

1. HEU-MEU: Brennstoffentwicklung