SCORPION

SiC Composite Claddings:
LWR Performance Optimization for Nominal and Accident Conditions

SCORPION is an international collaborative project involving 16 partners from the EU, the UK, the USA, Japan, and Switzerland, and focusing on innovative accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding materials.

The development of innovative ATF claddings is driven by the dire global societal and industrial demand for enhanced nuclear energy safety in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi event in 2011.

The post-Fukushima global investments in ATFs (both fuels & fuel cladding materials) expect to overcome the inherent technical shortcomings of the standard zircaloy claddings/UO₂ fuels currently used in Gen-II/III light water reactors (LWRs).

The timely deployment of ATFs will not only relieve the industry from financial penalties associated with beyond-design-basis accidents, but also protect society and environment from the adverse consequences of such events.

SCORPION focuses on the radical performance optimization of the SiC/SiC composite ATF cladding material concept, which is considered a ‘revolutionary’ concept as compared to the ‘evolutionary’ Cr-coated zircaloy ATF cladding material concept soon to be deployed.

The intended in SCORPION performance optimization of SiC/SiC composite ATF claddings targets primarily their inadequate compatibility with the coolant (water/steam) and the early (<2 dpa) saturation of radiation-induced swelling during nominal operation.