Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology

ISSN: 0022-3131 (Print) 1881-1248 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnst20

Reduction in Degree of Absorber-Cladding

Mechanical Interaction by Shroud Tube in Control
Rods for the Fast Reactor
Takako DONOMAE , Kozo KATSUYAMA , Yoshiaki TACHI , Koji MAEDA ,
Masaya YAMAMOTO & Tomonori SOGA
To cite this article: Takako DONOMAE , Kozo KATSUYAMA , Yoshiaki TACHI , Koji MAEDA ,
Masaya YAMAMOTO & Tomonori SOGA (2011) Reduction in Degree of Absorber-Cladding
Mechanical Interaction by Shroud Tube in Control Rods for the Fast Reactor, Journal of Nuclear
Science and Technology, 48:4, 580-584
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/18811248.2011.9711736

Published online: 19 Apr 2012.

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Date: 12 March 2016, At: 03:27

Journal of NUCLEAR SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 48, No. 4, p. 580584 (2011)

ARTICLE

Reduction in Degree of Absorber-Cladding Mechanical Interaction

by Shroud Tube in Control Rods for the Fast Reactor
Takako DONOMAE, Kozo KATSUYAMA, Yoshiaki TACHI, Koji MAEDA,
Masaya YAMAMOTO and Tomonori SOGA
Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita-cho, Oarai-machi, Ibaraki 311-1393, Japan

Downloaded by [Tokyo Institute of Technology] at 03:27 12 March 2016

(Received August 2, 2010 and accepted in revised form October 22, 2010)

Research and development of a long-life control rod for fast reactors is being conducted at Joyo. One of
the challenges in developing a long-life control rod is the restraint of absorber-cladding mechanical
interaction (ACMI). First, a helium-bonding rod was selected as a control rod for the experimental fast
reactor Joyo, which is the rst liquid metal fast reactor in Japan. Its lifetime was limited by ACMI, which
is induced by the swelling and relocation of B4 C pellets. To restrain ACMI, a shroud tube was inserted
into the gap between the B4 C pellets and the cladding tube. However, once B4 C pellets cracked and broke
into small fragments, relocation occurred. After this, the narrow gap closed immediately as the degree of
B4 C pellet swelling increased. To solve this problem, the gap was widened during design, and sodium was
selected as the bonding material instead of helium to restrain the increase in pellet temperature. Irradiation
testing of the modied sodium-bonding control rod conrmed that ACMI would be restrained by the
shroud tube regardless of the occurrence of B4 C pellet relocation. As a result of these improvements, the
estimated lifetime of the control rod at Joyo was doubled. In this paper, the results of postirradiation
examination are reported.
KEYWORDS: sodium bond, control rod, Joyo, B4 C, irradiation, shroud tube, burnup, ACMI,
crack, cladding tube

I. Introduction
A challenge in the development of a long-life control rod
for fast reactors is the restraint of absorber-cladding mechanical interaction (ACMI). In Japan, research and development
of a long-life control rod has been carried out through irradiation testing at the experimental fast reactor Joyo.1) Helium was selected as a bonding material inside absorber pins
in the control rods at the early stage of development. The
helium-bonding control rod was, however, revealed to have
a limited lifetime up to the burnup of boron carbide (B4 C)
pellets of about 50  1026 cap/m3 due to cladding deformation by ACMI,1,2) although the theoretical lifetime of B4 C
pellets is approximately 260  1026 cap/m3 of burnup from
the nuclear point of view.
ACMI is induced by a combination of the swelling and
relocation of B4 C pellets and their fragments. During irradiation, cracking occurred in the B4 C pellets and then fractured into small pieces. The fragments relocated to a gap
region between the B4 C pellet and the cladding tube, where
they caused cracks in the cladding tube by the mechanical
interaction, as shown in Fig. 1(a). In order to restrain relo

Corresponding author, E-mail: donomae.takako@jaea.go.jp

cation for the reduction in the degree of ACMI, a shroud

tube was inserted into the gap. A wider gap was employed to
enhance the shroud tube eect on the restraint of ACMI. In
addition, sodium was selected as the bonding material instead of helium for the reduction in pellet temperature,
which would be increased by the wider gap. The shroud
tube is expected to hold the B4 C pellet fragments, as schematically shown in Fig. 1(b). This role has already been
partially observed in previous irradiation tests carried out
in several overseas countries.2)
The rst irradiation test of sodium-bonding control rods in
Japan has been conducted at the experimental reactor Joyo.
Seven absorber pins in the control rod were successfully
irradiated. All the irradiated pins were withdrawn from the
Joyo core for postirradiation examination. Thus far, the
behavior of sodium-bonding control rods was investigated
by X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) as a nondestructive examination.1) The appearance of cracks in B4 C
pellets was observed by the X-ray CT test.
In this study, the detailed eects of a shroud tube on
ACMI were investigated by a series of destructive examinations. Seven absorber pins in irradiated sodium-bonding
control rods were examined by metrological inspection. A
detailed observation was performed on several samples having dierent irradiation conditions using metallography.

Atomic Energy Society of Japan

580

581

Reduction in Degree of Absorber-Cladding Mechanical Interaction by Shroud Tube in Control Rods for the Fast Reactor
Cladding tube
He

(a)

B 4 C pellet
Shroud tube

(b)

Na

Low burnup

High burnup

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Fig. 1 Mechanism of ACMI from low burnup to high burnup: (a) helium- and (b) sodium-bonding rods
Table 1 Specications for boron and carbon in the B4 C pellets

Handling head

Specication

B4 C specimen

90:0  1:0

90.1

Total B (wt%)

77:0  1:0

76.8

Total B+Total C (wt%)

=99:0

99.2

10

Sodium
Vent hole

Protecting tube

Vent tube

Cladding tube
Shroud tube
B4C pellet

Dash ram

Absorber pin

Control rod

Fig. 2 Illustration of control rod and absorber pin

B concentration (wt%)

Shroud tubes and B4 C pellets were contained inside the

cladding tubes during measurement. The shroud tubes with
B4 C pellets were then pulled out from the cladding tubes.
The diameter of the shroud tubes was measured using the
same technique used for the cladding tubes. The shroud
tubes with B4 C pellets were cut to a length of approximately
250 mm using a diamond blade cutter in order to obtain a
prole of diameter change. Small fragments of pellets and
shroud and cladding tubes were taken for metallographic
examination. Burnups were approximately 20, 40, 60, 80,
and 100  1026 cap/m3 . The specimens were polished and
chemically etched for metallography.

II. Experimental

III. Results and Discussion

The congurations of the absorber pins in the control rod

and B4 C pellets in the absorber pin are illustrated in Fig. 2.
The B4 C pellets were fabricated by a hot-pressing method
using isotopic B4 C with 90% 10 B enrichment. The density of
B4 C pellets was 90%TD. The specications of B4 C content
are shown in Table 1.
Specimens for postirradiation examination were taken
from control rods irradiated in the Joyo MK-III core. The
maximum burnup and temperature of the B4 C pellets were
100  1026 cap/m3 and approximately 800 C, respectively.
Burnup was calculated using the HESTIA code.3) The maximum temperature at the pellet center was calculated by the
universal computer code HEATING-5 (Heat Engineering
and Transfer in Nine-Geometries, Vol. 5).4,5)
The absorber pins were removed from the irradiated
control rods after withdrawal from the Joyo core. First, the
diameter proles of cladding tubes were measured by a laser.

1. Measurement of Cladding Tube Diameter

The diameters of all cladding tubes were measured. No
signicant cracks on the outer surface of the cladding were
observed on visual inspection. Figure 3 shows a typical
example of an axial prole of cladding diameter. The prole
was nearly at and there was no signicant deformation
around the B4 C pellet region.

VOL. 48, NO. 4, APRIL 2011

2. Measurement of Shroud Tube Diameter

Figure 4 shows the results of shroud tube diameter measurements.68) As shown in the gure, burnup increases toward the pin bottom. For irradiation above an approximate
burnup of 50  1026 cap/m3 , cracks appeared on the surfaces
of the shroud tubes. The crack length was measured to be
approximately 50 mm. The diameter increased signicantly
toward the pin bottom at approximately 60  1026 cap/m3 at
a distance from the pin bottom (D.F.P.B.) of approximately

582

Diameter (mm)

T. DONOMAE et al.
19.6
19.5
19.4
19.3
19.2
19.1
19.0
18.9
18.8
18.7
18.6

Weld zone

Weld zone

Absorber pin

B4C pellets area

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Axial Position From Pin Bottom(mm)

Burn up ( 10 26 cap/m3 )
80

70

60

50

40

30

19.5
Outer diameter of cladding tube

19.0

Diameter (mm)

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Fig. 3 Measurement of cladding tube diameter with illustration of B4 C absorber pin position

18.5

Inner diameter of cladding tube

18.0
17.5

Outer diameter of shroud tube

17.0
16.5
16.0
100

200

300

400

500

Distance from pin bottom (mm)

Fig. 4 Measurement of shroud tube and cladding tube outer diameters

200 mm. In comparison with the inner diameter of the cladding tube, the maximum shroud tube diameter was larger at
a burnup of approximately 75  1026 cap/m3 as shown in
Fig. 4, when the wall thickness of the cladding tube was
assumed to be the same during irradiation. This suggested
that the gap between the shroud and cladding tubes was
closed and such tubes would contact each other during irradiation. Then, it should be noted that shroud tube diameter
was measured after withdrawing the shroud tube from the
cladding tube. It is assumed that by withdrawing the shroud
tube, the stress would be free and the shroud tube diameter
was observed to be larger than the cladding tube inner
diameter. However, its contact did not aect the cladding
tube around the cracking region of the shroud tube.
3. Metallographic Examination
Figure 5 shows the appearance of the (a) cladding tube,
(b) shroud tube, and (c) B4 C fragments at a burnup of
50  1026 cap/m3 . There is a Cr coating layer that restrains
the corrosion of stainless steels under the B4 C-sodium-stain-

less-steel system. After the irradiation, Fig. 5(a) reveals no

cracks on the wall of the cladding tube; however, there were
short cracks that were limited to the inner layer. Figure 5(b)
shows short cracks in the layer of the inner and outer surfaces, and these cracks were also limited to these surfaces.
The B4 C fragments shown in Fig. 5(c) had a maximum size
of approximately 8 mm.
Figure 6 also shows the appearance of the (a) cladding
tube, (b) shroud tube, and (c) B4 C pellet fragments at a
burnup of 100  1026 cap/m3 . In this case, the cladding tube
was not breached, and some short cracks, which were limited
to the layer, were seen. On the other hand, the shroud tube
was breached by large cracks. The shroud tube wall appeared to have been squeezed, suggesting the ductibility of
the shroud tube. The apparent ductibility suggests that, in the
event that B4 C pellet cracks occur, the shroud tube should
restrain the relocation of B4 C pellets by holding the B4 C
pellet fragments in their positions. During irradiation, the
degree of swelling of B4 C pellets was increased, and the
shroud tube was squeezed by B4 C pellets; thus, shroud tube
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

583

Reduction in Degree of Absorber-Cladding Mechanical Interaction by Shroud Tube in Control Rods for the Fast Reactor

Inner Cr layer

Inner Cr layer

50 m

50 m

(a) Cladding tube (etched)

Outer
Cr layer

(a) Cladding tube (etched)

Inner
Cr layer

Outer
Inner
Cr layer Cr layer

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B4C pellet

50 m
(b) Shroud tube (etched)

(c) B4C fragments

Fig. 5 Optical micrographs ((a) and (b)) and appearance (c) of

irradiated specimens (burnup: 50  1026 cap/m3 )

diameter would be larger mechanically. The B4 C pellet fragments remained in their positions. The maximum size of the
B4 C fragments was approximately 5 mm.
By comparing Figs. 5 and 6, the fragment size in Fig. 5 is
observed to be larger than that in Fig. 6. This dierence is
due to the irradiation conditions of average burnup and the
average temperature of B4 C pellets. The burnup for the
specimen shown in Fig. 6 is larger than that shown in
Fig. 5. The maximum temperature of B4 C pellets is limited
to below 800 C by a design criterion. The temperature of the
specimen shown in Fig. 6 is lower than that shown in Fig. 5.
Helium is generated by the (n,
) reaction of 10 B and is
retained in the B4 C pellets, which leads to the accumulation
of helium with increasing burnup. This helium accumulation
causes microcracks in the pellets. These microcracks could
play a role in preparing helium release paths to the outside of
the pellets.
Figure 7 shows a comparison of the appearance of B4 C
pellets obtained under dierent irradiation conditions. The
pellets were irradiated at dierent temperatures to a similar
burnup. The temperature in Fig. 7(a) is 200 C lower than
that in Fig. 7(b).
It is well known that an increase in temperature causes the
occurrence of microcracks in B4 C pellets.1) From Figs. 57,
it is suggested that microcracks in B4 C pellets are generated
as burnup and temperature increase. These results suggest
that pellet cracking could make helium release easier. When
the burnup condition is the same, it is established that B4 C
pellet fragments become larger under a lower irradiation
temperature. These results correspond to the previously reported data for helium retention as a function of burnup, as
shown in Fig. 8.9) It is seen that the features of helium
retention depend on the temperature; i.e., the degree of
helium retention decreases with increasing temperature.
VOL. 48, NO. 4, APRIL 2011

50 m

(c)B4C fragments

(b) Shroud tube (etched)

Fig. 6 Optical micrographs ((a) and (b)) and appearance (c) of

irradiated specimens (burnup: 100  1026 cap/m3 )

(a)

(b)

Fig. 7 Appearance of materials after irradiation (burnup:

50  1026 cap/m3 ) of about (a) 700 C (pellet center temperature)
and (b) 1,000 C (pellet center temperature)

Helium retention is, however, almost saturated above

100  1026 cap/m3 .
The lifetime of helium-bonding control rods was limited
to a burnup of 43  1026 cap/m3 .1,2) The lifetime of sodium-bonding control rods was greatly extended to approximately 100  1026 cap/m3 by the following reasons, which
were elucidated from the present results. It is suggested
that pellet fragments could be held well by the shroud tube
for sodium-bonding control rods owing to a larger fragment size than that in the case of helium-bonding control
rods.

IV. Conclusions
According to the results of these improvements, it is
possible to double the lifetime of control rods in Joyo.
Above the irradiation of 100  1026 cap/m3 , the lifetime of
control rods would be extended by shroud tube improvement.

584

T. DONOMAE et al.
Irradiation
Temp. (C)

Full Retention

< 600
600 800
8001000
10001200

400

Helium Retention (m STP / m B4 C)

500

300

200

100

50

100

150

26

200

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Burnup (10 cap / m )

Fig. 8 Burnup dependence of helium retention of irradiated specimens. These specimens are separated by irradiation
temperature.2)

Acknowledgements
The authors express their deep appreciation to Dr. Osaka,
Dr. Ishii, and Mr. Arii for valuable discussion on the present
paper. Grateful acknowledgements are due to Mr. T. Inoue,
Mr. H. Fukasaku, and Mr. S. Misawa for their assistance in
conducting the study. Also grateful acknowledgement is
given to Mr. Nagamine, General Manager of the Fuels Monitoring Section, and Dr. Akasaka, Deputy General Manager
of Fuels Monitoring Section, and Mr. Asaga, Director of
Fuels and Materials Department, for their help in giving us
the opportunity to write this paper.

5)

6)

7)

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