SICANA@ - BORON-FREE SSiC
[Silicon Carbide for Advanced Nuclear Applications]
SICANA@ is a boron-free pressure less sintered dense silicon carbide. It has been developed preferably as cladding material for nuclear fuel elements. Boron – normally used in standard SiC composition as sintering additive – was substituted for reasons of neutron economy in in-core applications and prevention of radiation damages in the SiC itself.
SICANA@ is intended to substitute the metal zircaloy, commonly applied today as cladding material of nuclear fuel, in order to avoid generation of hydrogen in the event of a loss-of-coolant-accident (LOCA).
Properties
| Density: | > 3.10 g/cm3 |
| Open porosity: | none |
| Young’s Modulus: | 450 GPa |
| Poisson ratio: | 0.21 |
| Bending strength: | 500 MPa at 20°C 600 MPa at 1500°C |
| Vickers hardness: | 25 GPa at 5 N loads |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: | 4.5*10-6 K-1 |
| Crystal size: | < 2-5 µm |
Temperature-, thermal shock-, oxidation- and corrosion resistance are very high.