CX-270377: Development of a Mechanistic Hydride Behavior Model for Spent Fuel Cladding Storage and Transportation – Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania State University proposes to develop the capability to model the hydride behavior and its impact on cladding ductility for BISON and FRAPCON by following the microstructure based modeling approach taken by the NEAMS program. The principle task will be to correctly describe the development of hydride microstructure. The final macroscale models will undergo rigorous validation against existing data as well as new data collected as part of this project. Experiments include using heated cladding tubes that are precharged with hydrogen and placed in swirling water to create a temperature gradient. This gradient will induce a gradient in the hydrogen distribution within the cladding tube, which will be characterized after the experiment. The hydride precipitation and dissolution models in BISON and in MARMOT will be validated against existing data and new data collected in this project.