Hydrogen accumulation and distribution in Zr1Nb zirconium alloy after electrochemical and gas-phase hydrogenation

Investigation of hydrogen accumulation and distribution in zirconium alloy Zr1Nb after electrochemical and gas-phase hydrogenation was carried out. The hydride rim with sufficient thickness could not be obtained by electrolytic saturation. The hydrogen sorption rates of zirconium alloy at different temperatures were calculated: 1.65 × 10−4 wt %/min at 350°C, 2.4 × 10−2 wt %/min at 450°C, 7.3 × 10−2 wt %/min at 550°C. The decrease of cooling rate from 10 to 2°C/min after gas-phase hydrogenation lead to increased thickness of the hydride layer from 50 to 59 µm.