Zircaloy cladding performance under spent fuel disposal conditions; Progress report, May 1--October 31, 1989

The Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Waste Materials and Environment Modeling (WMEM) Program has been assigned the task of helping the DOE formulate and certify analytical tools needed to support and/or strengthen the Waste Package Licensing Strategy. One objective of the WMEM program is to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of irradiated Zircaloy cladding. This progress report presents the early findings of an on-going literature evaluation and the results of the numerical implementation of two models of Zircaloy creep. The report only addresses cladding degradation modes within intact, dry waste containers. Additional degradation modes will be considered when the study is expanded to include moist environments and partly failed containers. Further updates of the present analyses will also be provided.