Microstructural and thermophysical properties of U–6 wt.%Zr alloy for fast reactor application

The microstructural and high temperature behavior of U–6 wt.%Zr alloy has been investigated in this study. U–6 wt.%Zr alloy sample for this study was prepared by following injection casting route. The thermophysical properties like coefficient of thermal expansion, specific heat, thermal conductivity of the above alloy were determined. The hot-hardness data of the U–6 wt.%Zr alloy was also generated from room temperature to 973 K. Apart from that, the fuel-clad chemical compatibility with T91 grade steel was also studied by diffusion couple experiment. No studies have been reported on U–6 wt.%Zr alloy. This paper aims at filling up the gap on characterization and thermophysical property evaluation of U–6 wt.%Zr alloy.

► Characterization of U–6%Zr alloy prepared by injection casting route.
► Martensitic to non-martensitic transformation of U–6%Zr alloy occurs at 843 K.
► Specific heat versus temperature curve shows a phase transition at 845 K.
► Average coefficient of thermal expansion is 18.28 × 10−6 K−1 (298–823 K).
► Hardness versus temperature plot shows a transition at 748 K.