A study of the zirconium alloy protection by Cr3C2-NiCr coating for nuclear reactor application

The protection of the zirconium alloy by Cr3C2-NiCr coating has been evaluated. The corrosion resistant carbide-based cermet coatings were deposited on the zirconium alloy substrate using high velocity oxygen fuel technique and were exposed to high-temperature air and steam environment from 700 °C to 1000 °C. To examine the performance of the coating in supercritical water, the coating was tested in autoclave at 400 °C/10.3 MPa for 72 h. The thermal shock experiments were conducted to examine the bonding of the coating. It was suggested that the coating encompassing compatible electronegativity and thermal expansion coefficient with zirconium alloys and favorable toughness could be selected as a candidate for fuel cladding protection layer.