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“Can you tell me what you know about cladding material interactions?”
Cladding material interactions are addressed through specific codes and standards in nuclear reactor regulations. Steel cladding is commonly used and must meet criteria for containment integrity and seismic design (10 CFR §50.34 and 10 CFR §50.55a).
- Evaluate containment integrity for events involving fuel-clad metal-water reactions (§50.34).
- Include reversing dynamic loads in seismic calculations for piping/welds as required by ASME references in §50.55a.
- Steel cladding may experience fuel-clad chemical interactions (wastage) over time, especially with metallic fuel contact; this can degrade mechanical properties (SME qa-9830947af7af).
- Vanadium cladding is an attractive future option but remains insufficiently characterized and would require further R&D (SME qa-dd9c7208330b).
CFR context
- 10 CFR §50.55a (xlix) — Section XI condition: Analytical Evaluations of Flaws in Cladding
- 10 CFR §50.34 (f)(3)(v)(A)(1) — Containment integrity (steel containments / NE-3220)
- 10 CFR §50.55a (K) — Metal Containment Examinations (IWE moisture barriers)
- 10 CFR §50.55a (A) — Seismic design of piping (NB-3222, NB-3223 refs)
- 10 CFR §50.55a (G) — Concrete containment examinations (IWA-1400)
- 10 CFR §50.55a (iii) — ASME Code Cases: Nuclear Components
SME notes (full)
- qa-55214893979fQ:What is your cladding? (Oklo)A:I don’t think the cladding material we’re using has been formally announced. But I can tell you that it’s a steel. And it’s a steel with plenty of data backing it up. (As of 2025-08.)
- qa-9830947af7afQ:In Oklo’s metallic fuel design, once swelling causes the fuel to contact the cladding, does it remain in contact for the rest of the cycle, and how do you address potential fuel-clad chemical interactions?A:it generally stays in contact for the rest of the fuel cycle. There can be some receding due to recovery of thermal eigenstrain, but by end-of-life, contact is expected.
- qa-dd9c7208330bQ:Could vanadium be used as a cladding material in Oklo’s reactors?A:Vanadium cladding is considered an attractive future option, but it’s not yet a well-characterized system and would require further research and development.
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