Thermophysical properties of molten Zr1-xOx (x=0.1, 0.2) measured by electrostatic levitation

During the core meltdown accident at the Fukushima Daiichi (1F) nuclear power plant, molten Zr based alloys and oxides formed at elevated temperatures as the fuel cladding is made up of zircaloys. As decommission is taking place currently, thermophysical data of the Zr-O system are important for both understanding the details of the accident and for the ongoing decommission process. Given the high melting temperature of zirconium oxides and their high reactivity, there have been limited reports on their properties. Here, we used a contactless electrostatic levitation (ESL) technique to measure the density, surface tension, and viscosity of molten Zr1-xOx (x = 0.1, 0.2) alloys at elevated temperatures. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.