Oxidation Behavior Characterization of Zircaloy-4 Cladding with Different Hydrogen Concentrations at 500–800 °C in an Ambient Atmosphere

This study simulated the after-burned zirconium cladding oxidation in air at temperatures between 500 and 800 °C. The weight changes of Zircaloy-4 cladding with hydrogen contents of 100–1000 ppm continuously measured through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) during oxidation tests at different temperatures in an air atmosphere. The TGA results indicate a transition of oxidation kinetics from a parabolic rate law to a linear rate law for as-received and hydrided Zircaloy-4 cladding. The hydrogen concentration of Zircaloy-4 had a marked effect on its pre-transition oxidation in air between 500 and 800 °C. For all samples, the linear oxidation (post transition stage) at 650 °C, which is the critical oxidation temperature, displays a similar trend. In addition, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron micros-copy examinations indicated the presence of a few and numerous discontinuous micro-cracks in the oxide layer in the pre-transition and post-transition stages, respectively.