• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 1989

The hydriding kinetic mechanism and the change of the hydriding reaction rate of $MmNi_{4.5}Al_{0.5}$ during the thermally induced hydrogen absorption-desorption cycling are investigated. Comparison of the reaction rate data which are obtained by the pressure sweep method with the theoretical rate equations suggests that the hydriding rate controlling step has changed from the dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen molecules at the surface to the hydrogen diffusion through the hydride phase with the increase of the hydriding fraction. These hydriding kinetic mechanism is not changed during the cycling. However, the intrinsic hydriding reaction rate of $MmNi_{4.5}Al_{0.5}$ after 5500 cycles increases significantly comparing with the activated one. It is suggested that the change of the hydriding kinetic behavior due to intrinsic degradation of $MmNi_{4.5}Al_{0.5}$ can be interpreted as follows ; the formation of nickel cluster at the surface of the sample and the host metal atom exchange in bulk by thermal cycling.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.35 no.5
• /
• pp.378-386
• /
• 2003

Recently failures of nuclear fuel rods in Korean nuclear power plants were reported and their failure causes have been investigated by using PIE techniques. Destructive and physico-chemical examinations reveal that the clad hydriding phenomena had caused the rod failures primarily and secondarily in each case. In this study, the basic mechanisms of the primary and the secondary hydriding failures are reviewed, PIE data such as cladding inner and outer surface oxide thickness and the restructuring of the fuel pellets are analyzed, and they are compared with the predicted behaviors by a fuel performance code. In addition, post-defected fuel behaviors are reviewed and qualitatively analyzed. The results strongly support that the hydriding processes, primary and secondary, played critical roles in the respective fuel rods failures and the secondary hydriding failure can take place even in the fuel rod with low linear heat generation rate.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
• /
• v.3
• /
• pp.47-51
• /
• 1983

The fragmentation of Mg and Mg-25(w/o) Al alloy particles in hydriding-dehydriding was studied. The formation of hydride was made in autoclave, and formed hydrides were $MgH_2$ in both pure Mg and Mg-25(w/o) Al alloy particles. Pure Mg was more fractured than Mg-25(w/o) Al alloy in hydriding. The addition of Al exhibited fragmentation in hydriding, but displayed the same fragmentation as Mg in dehydriding.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.47 no.2
• /
• pp.106-112
• /
• 2010

This paper presents some experimental results on incubation time for massive hydriding of Zr alloys with oxide thickness. Oxide effects experiments on massive hydriding reaction of commercial Zr alloy claddings and pre-oxidized Zr alloys with hydrogen gas were carried out in the temperature range from 300 to $400^{\circ}C$ with thermo-gravimetric apparatus. Experimental results for oxide effects on massive hydriding kinetics show that incubation time is not proportional to oxide thickness and that the massive hydriding kinetics of pre-filmed Zr alloys follows linear kinetic law and the hydriding rate are similar to that of oxide-free Zr alloys once massive hydriding is initiated. There was a difference in micro-structures between oxide during incubation time and oxide after incubation time. Physical defects such as micro-cracks and pores were observed in only oxide after incubation time. Therefore, the massive hydriding of Zr alloys seems to be ascribed to short circuit path, mechacical or physical defects, such as micro-cracks and pores in the oxide rather than hydrogen diffusion through the oxide resulting from the increase of oxygen vacancies in the hypostoichiometric oxide.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.123-128
• /
• 2010

Hydriding combustion synthesis (HCS) can produce full hydrides of alloys and in a short time. The conventional process based on ingot metallurgy cannot produce Mg-based alloy easily with the desired composition and the cast product needs a ling activation process for the practical use of hydrogen storage. In this study, the hydriding properties of Mg-xNi (x=5, 13.5, 54.7wt.%) alloys prepared by hydriding combustion synthesis were evaluated. The hydrogen storage capacity and kinetics of HCS Mg-xNi alloys were strongly dependent on the content of Ni. The HCS Mg-13.5wt.%Ni alloy shows the hydriding behavior to reach the maximum capacity within 30 min. and the reversible $H_2$ storage of 5.3wt.% at 623 K.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.570-587
• /
• 1993

Recently a number of severe fuel degradation events, seemingly due to internal secondary hydriding, have been reported. This paper reviews internal hydriding of defected zircaloy cladding. First, the history of zircaloy cladding development and the environment of the zircaloys in service in the nuclear reactor are introduced. Fundamental aspects of zircaloy hydriding, such as hydrogen permeability in zirconium oxide, terminal solubility and precipitation in zirconium and its alloys, and the deleterious effect of hydrides are reviewed. The mechanism of massive internal hydriding in defected zircaloy fuel rods is qualitatively described based on the observed phenomena. Significant factors affecting the hydriding process are discussed. A quantitative model for the massive hydriding as a part of an effort to mitigate fuel degradation is briefly mentioned and necessary information and recommended future work for improvement of the model are outlined.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.597-603
• /
• 2008

Oxide effects experiments on massive hydriding reactions of Zr alloy with hydrogen gas were carried out at $400^{\circ}C$ under 1 atm in a $H_2$ environment with a thermo-gravimetric apparatus (TGA). Experimental results for oxide effects on massive hydriding kinetics show that incubation time is not proportional to oxide thickness. The results also show that the massive hydriding kinetics of pre-filmed Zr alloys follows linear kinetic law and that the hydriding rates are similar to that of oxide-free Zr alloys once massive hydriding is initiated. Unlikely microstructure of the oxide during incubation time, physical defects such as micro-cracks and pores were observed in the oxide after incubation time. Therefore, it seems that the massive hydriding of Zr alloys can be ascribed to short circuit paths and mechanical or physical defects, such as micro-cracks and pores in the oxide, rather than to hydrogen diffusion through the oxide resulting from the increase of oxygen vacancies in the hypo-stoichiometric oxide.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
• /
• v.50 no.6
• /
• pp.463-468
• /
• 2012

A 71.5 wt%Mg-23.5 wt%Ni-5 wt%$Fe_2O_3$ (Mg-23.5Ni-$5Fe_2O_3$) sample was prepared by a quite simple process, reactive mechanical grinding, and its hydriding and dehydriding properties were then investigated. The reactive mechanical grinding of Mg with Ni and $Fe_2O_3$ is considered to facilitate nucleation and shorten the diffusion distances of the hydrogen atoms. After the hydriding-dehydriding cycling, the Mg-23.5Ni-$5Fe_2O_3$ sample contained $Mg_2Ni$ phase. Expansion and contraction of the hydride-forming materials (Mg and $Mg_2Ni$) with the hydriding and dehydriding reactions are also considered to increase the hydriding and dehydriding rates of the mixture by forming defects and cracks leading to the fragmentation of the particles. The temperature dependence of the hydriding rate of the sample is discussed.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.143-150
• /
• 1998

The hydriding and dehydriding properties of a Mg-10wt.%Ni mixture, mechanically-alloyed in order to improve the hydriding and dehydriding kinetics of pure Mg, were investigated. The $Mg_2Ni$ phase develops along with hydriding-dehydriding cycling. The principal effects of mechanical alloying in a planetary mill and hydriding-dehydriding cycling are considered to be the augmentation in the density of defects and the enlargement in the specific surface area. The mechanically-alloyed Mg-10wt.%Ni mixture is activated easily. It has much higher hydriding rate and hydrogen-storage capacity and relatively high dehydriding rate as compared with the pure Mg, the Mg-10wt.%Ni alloy, the Mg-25wt.%Ni alloy and the $Mg_2Ni$ alloy.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.163-168
• /
• 2016

Korea has been developing nuclear fusion fuel storage and delivery system (SDS) technologies including a basic scientific study on hydrogen storage. To develop nuclear fusion technology, it is necessary to store and supply hydrogen isotopes needed for Tokamak operation. SDS is used for storing hydrogen isotopes as a metal hydride form. The rapid hydriding of tritium is very important not only for safety reasons but also for the economic design and operation of the SDS. In this study, we designed and fabricated a medium-scale getter bed of depleted uranium (DU). The hydriding of DU has been measured by varying the initial temperature ($100-300^{\circ}C$) of the DU getter bed to investigate the influence of the cooling temperature. Furthermore, we analyzed the effect of a helium blanket on the hydriding performance with 0 - 12% helium content in hydrogen.