Methods for manufacturing nanostructured and compositionally-tailored tubes and components by low temperature, solid-state cold spray powder deposition

1. A method for manufacturing a nuclear reactor cladding tube, the method comprising:

providing a cylindrical mandrel substrate defining a hollow cylindrical inner space;

selecting a first cold spray powder metal;

rotating the cylindrical mandrel substrate;

applying the first cold spray powder metal to an outer surface of the cylindrical mandrel substrate to form a first layer;

selecting a second cold spray powder metal;

applying the second cold spray powder metal over the first layer to form a second layer, wherein the second cold spray powder metal comprises an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel powder; and

removing the cylindrical mandrel substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first layer is selected from a range of 10 μm to 5000 μm.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first cold spray powder metal comprises a refractory metal.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the refractory metal comprises vanadium, tantalum, rhenium, niobium, tungsten, chromium, zirconium, or molybdenum, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the second layer is selected from a range of 200 μm to 1000 μm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ODS steel powder is cryogenically milled.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to removing the cylindrical mandrel substrate, the method comprises:

selecting a third cold spray powder metal; and

applying the third cold spray powder metal over the second layer to form a third layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the thickness of the third layer is selected from a range of 1 μm to 100 μm.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the third cold spray powder metal comprises a corrosion and oxidation resistant material.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the corrosion and oxidation resistant material comprises chromium or a chromium alloy.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the chromium alloy comprises FeCrAl or Fe20Cr5Al.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the corrosion and oxidation resistant material comprises molybdenum, a molybdenum alloy, a molybdenum-rhenium alloy, niobium, tantalum, FeCrAl, FeCrAlY 1 FeCrSi of a nickel alloy, a beryllium alloy, a tungsten alloy, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the cylindrical mandrel substrate comprises dissolving the cylindrical mandrel substrate.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cylindrical mandrel substrate is made of aluminum-alloy or magnesium-alloy and the cylindrical mandrel substrate is dissolved inside out using a sodium-hydroxide solution.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the cylindrical mandrel substrate comprises thermal treatment including melting or boiling to remove the cylindrical mandrel substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the cylindrical mandrel substrate is made of a zinc-alloy removed by heating above its melting point.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising placing nuclear fuel pellets inside the nuclear reactor cladding tube after removing the cylindrical mandrel substrate.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical mandrel comprises a length, and wherein applying the first cold spray powder metal comprises applying the first cold spray power metal along the length of the cylindrical mandrel to form a nuclear reactor cladding tube having a length selected from range of 2.5 m and 5 m.

19. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first layer comprises vanadium or a vanadium alloy, wherein the second layer comprises ODS steel, and wherein the third layer comprises chromium or a chromium alloy.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ODS steel comprises yttrium oxide.