熔融锆合金氧化凝固过程中微观结构演变过程模拟研究

Numerical Simulation of Microstructure Evolution during Molten Zirconium Oxidation Solidification Process

  • 摘要: 在压水堆发生严重事故时,锆合金包壳的熔融物氧化行为将使熔融物表观黏度增加,显著影响堆芯熔融物迁移与重定位过程,是堆芯降级过程中的关键现象。目前已开展的熔融锆合金氧化机理实验表明,熔融锆合金氧化凝固过程中的微观结构特征对其氧化动力学具有重要影响。本研究针对熔融锆氧化凝固过程建立了凝固相场-温度场-流场-氧浓度输运场多物理场耦合精细分析模型,模型的有效性与准确性经过了二维无限圆柱阵列间流动理论近似解与静电悬浮条件锆合金晶枝生长动力学实验的验证。基于建立的模型研究了温度、熔融物流动对熔融锆合金凝固过程微观结构演变的影响,模拟结果表明:熔融物流动将显著影响微观结构,迎流方向晶枝生长过程能够得到增强,晶枝生长方向将向来流方向发生偏转;温度会影响熔融锆氧化凝固生成物的晶体结构,在1 855~1 968 ℃范围内,体心立方结构的β-Zr相凝固会形成棱形微观结构;在1 968~2 129 ℃范围内,密排六方结构的α-Zr(O)相凝固会形成六边形微观结构。温度还会影响二元相图中的液相线平衡氧摩尔分数与平衡二元分配系数参数,造成不同温度下氧化凝固过程的熔体氧浓度不均匀性各异。通过对熔融锆合金凝固过程中微观结构演变过程建立精细模型,能够为熔融锆合金氧化实验现象分析提供理论工具。

     

    Abstract: In the severe accidents in pressurized water reactors (PWR), the oxidation behavior of zirconium alloy cladding melts will increase the apparent viscosity of the melt, which significantly influences the migration and relocation process of core melts and is a key phenomenon during core degradation. Published experimental mechanism studies on the oxidation kinetics of molten zirconium alloys have indicated that the microstructural characteristics of molten zirconium alloys during oxidative solidification have an important influence on their oxidation kinetics. In this study, a multi-physics coupling model integrating solidification, temperature and oxygen concentration fields, targeting the oxidation and solidification process of molten zirconium was established. The validity and accuracy of the model were verified by the analytical approximate of the flow through regular arrays of parallel solid cylinders and the experimental results of the dendrite growth kinetics of zirconium alloys under electrostatic levitation condition. Based on the model, the effects of temperature and melt flow on the microstructural evolution of molten zirconium alloy during solidification were investigated. The simulation results show that: The melt flow will significantly affect the microstructure, the dendrite growth process in the direction of the on-flow can be enhanced, and the direction of the dendrite growth will be deflected to the direction of the on-flow. The solid-state zirconium crystal structure and the physical parameters of phase diagrams affected by temperature have a significant effect on the microstructural morphology of the solidification process. Temperature affects the crystal structure of molten zirconium oxidative solidification products. In the temperature range of 1 855-1 968 ℃, the solidification of the β-Zr phase with body-centered cubic structure forms a prismatic microstructure, while the solidification of the α-Zr(O) phase with densely-arranged hexagonal structure forms a hexagonal microstructure in the temperature range of 1 968-2 129 ℃. Temperature also affects the liquid-phase line equilibrium oxygen mole fraction and equilibrium binary partition coefficient parameters in the binary phase diagram, resulting in different melt oxygen concentration inhomogeneities during oxidative solidification at different temperatures. By establishing a fine model for the evolution of microstructure in the solidification process of molten zirconium alloys, a theoretical tool is provided for the analysis of the oxidation phenomenon of molten zirconium alloys.

     

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