A comparison of thermo-oxidation kinetic measurements of Zircaloy-4 in light and heavy water steam

High temperature oxidation experiments of Zircaloy-4 have been previously reported using various gaseous environments including light water steam and synthetic air, but no experiments involving heavy water steam oxidation have been reported in the open literature. Understanding the reaction kinetics in heavy water steam is important for CANDU nuclear generating stations, which are moderated and cooled by heavy water. The long standing …