Patent ID: 8043448

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a nuclear reactor component comprising: preparing a zirconium-base alloy including a tin content of between about 1.30 and 1.60 wt %; a chromium content of between about 0.0975 and 0.15 wt %; an iron content of between about 0.16 and 0.24 wt %; and a nickel content of between 0.0 and about 0.08 wt %; wherein a total content of the iron, chromium and nickel included in the zirconium-base alloy is at least about 0.3175 wt %; a balance being zirconium, oxygen, lesser amounts of carbon and silicon, and unavoidable impurities; forming a workpiece from the zirconium-base alloy; performing a β-quench on the workpiece to form a quenched workpiece; performing additional forming processes to complete the nuclear reactor component from the quenched workpiece, wherein the additional forming processes may be selected from the group consisting of an extrusion process conducted at an extrusion temperature of less than about 680° C., cold deformations and hot deformations; wherein the workpiece is not subjected to a temperature greater than about 625° C. subsequent to the extrusion process and all the additional forming processes result in a final workpiece Sigma-A value of less than 2×10 −19 hour; wherein the nuclear reactor component includes a surface region having secondary phase precipitates (SPP), the secondary phase precipitates having a mean diameter no less than about 50 nm and no greater than about 100 nm; and further wherein the nuclear reactor component includes a wetted surface having a surface roughness no greater than about 0.50 μm Ra.