Secondary hydriding during LOCA – Results from the QUENCH-L0 test

A shortened loss of coolant scenario was simulated experimentally at fuel rod bundle scale in the QUENCH-L0 test. All pressurized specimens burst at temperatures between 790 and 855 °C. The hydrogen distribution in the cladding of chosen fuel rod simulators was studied by neutron radiography and tomography. As the results of these investigations show, the inner oxidation level, depending on time between burst and cooling and the temperatures occurring during this time, are important parameters for the hydrogen uptake. No hydrogen uptake was measured for the specimen with less than 50 s between burst and quenching. For longer time intervals, hydrogen enriched bands were formed. These bended bands are oriented non-symmetrically to the tube axis. The width of the bands and the maximal hydrogen concentrations seem to increase with time between burst and quenching and with the temperatures during this period.