Direct measurement of hydrogen diffusivity and solubility limits in Zircaloy 2 (formula unit of ZrH) using incoherent quasi-elastic neutron scattering.

The diffusivity of hydrogen is an important property of light water nuclear reactor (LWR) fuel cladding. LWR cladding absorbs hydrogen during normal operation, a contributing factor to embrittlement that decreases the lifetime of the fuel. Mass transport of hydrogen is dictated by an Arrhenius behavior typical of solid state diffusion and the associated activation energy is therefore a property relevant to LWR fuel performance.