Irradiation resistance of vacuum arc chromium coatings for zirconium alloy fuel claddings

Effects of high-energy heavy ion irradiation on the structure of chromium coatings, which were deposited by the cathodic arc evaporation method on the Zr-based alloy (E110) substrate, have been studied. Within the framework of the accident-tolerant fuel claddings (ATFC) concept, chromium coatings seem to be promising for protection of zirconium alloys from oxidation. The radiation resistance of Cr deposited coatings was investigated through the study of void swelling after irradiation with 1.4 MeV argon ions at 400 °C to doses of 5, 15 and 25 dpa. The irradiation of chromium coatings causes the isotropic growth of grain size from initial 250 nm up to 295 nm, and also, the swelling up to 0.66% under irradiation dose of 25 dpa. It can be concluded that chromium coatings have a high resistance to irradiation and are a good candidate as a protection of zirconium alloys fuel claddings in the frame of the ATFC philosophy.