A series of single rod tests (S1 to S13) and 3x3 bundle tests (B1 to B7) with three types of fuel claddings (Zircaloy 4, Opt. ZIRLO, and E110) coated with Cr or Cr/CrN were inductively heated under conditions simulating DEC LOCA scenarios using an induction heating furnace at the DEGREE facility of CRIEPI, Japan, in the framework of the IAEA CRP ATF-TS project [1-3]. The boundary conditions were not adiabatic due to absence of surrounding heat insulation, what caused noticeable radial temperature gradient in the bundle. The peak cladding temperatures reached were either 1350°C, 1500°C or 1600°C. Several rods were pressurized to 6 MPa, the rest was not pressurized. The test scenario included four stages: pre-heating to 500 °C, conditioning at 500 °C, heat-up in steam/Ar mixture to the pre-determined temperatures with heating rate 3-5 K/s, and cool-down in Ar. Post-test analysis was conducted to reveal interdiffusion layer structure formed at the interface between the coating and Zr alloy substrate containing Cr, Zr, oxygen, and hydrogen, radial profile of micro-Vickers hardness, and ballooning and bursting behaviour.
Datasets are provided here for one single rod test (S3) and one bundle test (B3), in which 20 µm Cr-coated Zircaloy-4 cladding tubes were pressurized to 6 MPa and heated in an Ar/Steam atmosphere to a maximum temperature of 1350 °C.
