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2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Education and training to support Canadian nuclear workforce development
Along with several other nations, Canada has committed to net-zero emissions by 2050. Part of this plan is tripling nuclear generating capacity. As of 2025, the country has four operating nuclear generating stations with a total of 17 reactors, 16 of which are in the province of Ontario. The Independent Electricity System Operator has recommended that an additional 17,800 MWe of nuclear power be added to Ontario’s grid.
Chongchong Tang, Martin Steinbrueck, Mirco Grosse, Sven Ulrich, Michael Stueber, Hans Juergen Seifert (KIT)
Proceedings | 2018 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018) | Charlotte, NC, April 8-11, 2018 | Pages 694-700
Alumina-forming MAX phase ternary carbides are being considered as protective coatings on zirconium alloys as accident tolerant fuel (ATF) cladding because of their resistivity against high-temperature steam oxidation during accident scenarios. This study attempted to synthesize three types of Al-containing MAX phase carbides (Ti?AlC, Cr?AlC and Zr?AlC) as coatings on Zircaloy-4 substrates via deposition of elemental nanoscale multilayer thin films using magnetron sputtering, and subsequent thermal annealing in argon. Formation of Ti?AlC and Cr?AlC MAX phases was confirmed after annealing at 800°C and 550°C, respectively, while growth of Zr(Al)C carbide rather than Zr?AlC MAX phase was observed in the Zr-C-Al system. Oxidation of the three coated samples at 1000°C in steam for 1 hour revealed no protective effect of the Ti?AlC and Zr(Al)C coatings with significant spallation and cracking. The Cr?AlC coatings possess superior oxidation resistance and self-healing capability with a thin and dense ?-Al?O? layer growth on the surface, which shows good promise as a candidate for coated ATF claddings.
