I. Shchelkanov, M. Schmid, R. Paul, R. Stubbers, B. Jurczyk
Starfire Industries LLC, Champaign, IL
Increased need for improved performance of long tubes and continuous fibers in various industries, and especially in nuclear industry is driving innovation in vacuum systems. Starfire Industries LLC completed several phases of development of a pilot demonstrator in-line production system to apply functional thin films on nuclear fuel claddings for increased resilience in both normal and accident scenarios. The in-line coating system incorporates the following technologies: IMPULSE^® + Positive Kick^™ HiPIMS deposition and etching as a main method for thin film coatings and surface modification; Hollow Cathode - Inverted Cylindrical Magnetrons as both deposition and etching devices; and an in-situ video inspection system for surface quality and deposition process control. System performance and operation features are discussed. Analysis of the following coatings is presented Cr on cladding, SiC on cladding, and Cr + SiC on cladding. Test results, including coating adhesion at extreme condition resistance, are discussed. The impact of this technology is being felt for next-generation coatings for nuclear applications, including molten salt, liquid sodium fast, advanced light water, and high-temperature gas reactors at our new Champaign facility.