• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.85-95
• /
• 1997

This study is to investigate the optimum conditions of Nd:YAG laser beam welding for Zircaloy-4 end cap closure by optical fiber transmission. Laser welding parameters which affect the penetration depth and bead width were experimentally examined using the various beam radius by the beam quality analyzer, joint geometries of end cap and the laser parameters which mean pulse width, repetition rate and pulse energy. Also, an optimum welding speed and the effect of assistant gas with varying the flow rate of He were investigated. We found that the laser average power for the end cap welding will be 230W and rotation speed must not exceed 8 RPM, the best position of focus using optical fiber with 600.mu.m will be 2 to 3mm below the surface of the material.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2003

Various welding methods such as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding(GTAW), magnetic force electrical resistance welding and Laser Beam Welding(LBW) are now available for end cap closure of nuclear fuel rods. Even though the resistance and GTA welding processes are widely used in manufacturing commercial fuel rods, they can not be recommended for the remote seal welding of fuel rods in the hot cell Facility due to the complexity of the electrode alignment, the difficulty in replacing parts in a remote manner and the large heat input for the thin sheath. Therefore, the Nd:YAG laser system using optical fiber transmission was selected for the end cap welding of irradiation fuel rods in the hot cell. The remote laser welding apparatus in the hot cell Facility was developed using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 500 watt average power with an optical fiber transmission. The weldment quality such as microstructure and mechanical strength was satisfactory. The optimum conditions of laser welding for encapsulating irradiation fuel rods in the hot cell were obtained.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.175-183
• /
• 2001

Various welding processes are now available for end cap closure of nuclear fuel element such as TG(Tungsten Inert Gas) welding, magnetic resistance welding and laser welding. Even though the resistance and TIG welding processes are widely used for manufacturing commercial fuel elements, they can not be recommended for the remote seal welding of a fuel element at a hot cell facility due to the complexity of electrode alignment, difficulity in the replacement of parts in the remote manner and a large heat input for a thin sheath. Therefore, the Nd:YAG laser system using optical fiber transmission was selected for Zircaloy-4 end cap welding inside hot cell. The laser welding apparatus was developed using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser of 500 watt average power with optical fiber transmission. The weldability of laser welding was satisfactory with respect to the microstructures and mechanical properties comparing with TIG and resistance welding. The optimum operation processes of laser welding and the optical fiber transmission system for hot cell operation in a remote manner have been developed The effects of irradiation on the properties of the laser apparatus were also being studied.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.85-91
• /
• 1998

In nuclear fuel manufacturing process, end-closure welding has long been recognized as requiring very high integrity. In this basic study, ECT(eddy current testing) method for end-closure welding has been developed to detect end cap weld discontinuities for nuclear fuel safety. In order to improve the inspection reliability, the maximum scanning speed and the maximum frequency is investigated for end-closure welding inspection. The bandpass filter(0-250Hz) is used for removing noise effects. This study shows that ECT method is effective and sensitive for the detection of small defect(0.35mm diameter).