The document discusses fuel cladding materials used in nuclear reactors. It describes aluminum alloys as a common cladding material for research reactors operating below 100°C due to its low neutron absorption, high thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance at moderate temperatures. Specifically, aluminum alloy types 1100, 5000, 6000, AA6061, AA5456, and AA5052 are used as cladding. However, aluminum alloys lose strength and have corrosion problems at higher temperatures. While alloying can improve properties, it also increases neutron absorption.

1. Fuel Cladding Materials
Aluminum Alloys

2. Presented To:
Miss Fauzia Wahid
Presented By:
Arif Ali MME-12-01
Sarmad Saeed MME-12-02
Gulfam Husain MME-12-30

3. Aluminum Alloys
• Third most abundant element in the earth’s & most abundant metal.
• Alloyed with many elements, majorly Cu, Mn, Si, Mg, Mg-Si, Zn & Li.
• Small amounts of Fe, Zr, Cr, Ti, V etc are also added.
• Two categories of alloys namely Wrought & Cast alloys.
• Wrought alloys designated by 1xxx upto 9xxx showing the major
alloying additions.
• Cast alloys designated by 1xx.x upto 9xx.x just like wrought alloys.

4. Designation

5. Fuel Cladding Material
• Cladding is the outer layer of the fuel
rods, standing between the coolant and
the nuclear fuel.
• It is used to provide a combination of
mechanical properties & corrosion
resistance.
• The purpose of cladding in a nuclear
reactor is two fold:
i. Cladding gives the physical
configuration by housing fuel pellets
ii. Cladding retains the fission products
and prevents direct contact between
coolant and fuel

6. Contd..
• The cladding material should possess the following properties for its normal
operation:
Ductility
Impact strength
Creep Resistance
Ease of fabrication
Resistance to corrosion by coolant
High MP
High thermal conductivity
low absorption cross section for neutrons
Chemically inert

7. Contd..
• The following materials are commonly used as the fuel cladding
materials:
Zircaloy
Stainless Steels
Magnesium(Magnox)
 Fe-Cr-Al alloys
SiC
Aluminum alloys

8. Aluminum Alloys As Fuel cladding Materials
• Aluminum & its alloys are used as cladding materials in research
reactors fuel elements as:
 It has adequate oxidation resistance & mechanical properties at
moderate temperature around 100°C.
It has low thermal neutron capture cross section value i.e. 0.23 barns
High thermal conductivity.
Freedom from corrosion at low temperature.

9. Contd..
• Most of the fuels are cladded with pure aluminum.
• Al alloys are also used as cladding materials most commonly 5000 &
6000 series.
• Al alloys to be used as cladding materials are those which are either
strengthened by solid solution strengthening or by precipitation
hardening.
• AA6061, AA5456 & AA5052 are commonly used as the fuel cladding
materials.

10. Contd..
• Aluminum alloy type 1100 which is nearly pure aluminum(greater
than 99%) is also used.
• It is used in in low power, water-cooled research, training, and
materials testing reactors in which the operating temperatures are
below 100°C.
• Aluminum is also used as fuel cladding material for pressurized and
boiling water reactors operating in the moderate temperature range.

11. Problems
• It losses strength & corrosion properties at high temperature.
• Alloying additions can improve these properties but at expense of
neutron absorption cross section.
• In water reactors, Al can be used upto 100°C because of corrosion
problems at higher temperatures.

12. References
• Selection of Materials for Reactor
Internals by K.S. Rajan (Professor, School of Chemical & Biotechnology
SASTRA University ).
• Nuclear Reactor Materials and Fuels by Massoud T. Simnad (University of California, San Diego).
• Aluminum cladding oxidation of prefilmed in-pile fueled experiments
W.R. Marcum a, *, D.M. Wachs b, A.B. Robinson b, M.A. Lillo b
• Nuclear fuels e-den A Nuclear Energy Division Monograph .
• REACTOR USE OF ALUMINUM http://nuclearpowertraining.tpub.com/h1017v2/css/Reactor-Use-Of-Aluminum-109.htm
• THE QUEST FOR SAFE AND RELIABLE FUEL CLADDING
MATERIALS by Eddy S. Pino, Alfredo Y. Abe and Claudia Giovedi
www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/47/006/47006409.pdf
• Reactor Materials chapter 5.
https://www.google.com.pk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjQ-
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