Evaluation of Conditions for Hydrogen Induced Degradation of Zirconium Alloys During Fuel Operation and Storage

This publication summarizes the research work undertaken as part of an IAEA coordinated research project (CRP) on evaluation of conditions for hydrogen-induced degradation of zirconium alloys during fuel operation and storage, and includes details of the experimental procedures to evaluate the threshold condition for delayed hydride cracking that led to a set of data for these materials. Besides the goal to transfer the technology of the testing techniques from experienced laboratories to those unfamiliar with the methods, the CRP was set up to develop experimental procedures to produce consistent sets of data, both within a single laboratory and between different laboratories.