Study of the mechanisms of change in hydride phases in zirconium beryllide during its linear heating

Abstract

Beryllides have a number of unique properties that make them promising for use in various fields of industry and energy. Since some of the beryllides have the potential to dissolve large amounts of hydrogen (in some cases forming hydride phases), there is some interest in evaluating their possible applications in hydrogen technologies. This paper presents the results of studies of changes in the phase composition of the zirconium beryllide deuteride compound during its linear heating. The studies were carried out using a complex method including thermal gravimetrical analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and mass spectrometry. Based on the results of the experiments, a number of parameters were obtained characterizing the transitions of deuteride from the phase of the Orthorhombic I _mma crystal structure of deuteride ZrBe _2 D into the Orthorhombic C _mcm crystal structure of deuteride ZrBe _2 D _0.67 , as well as the decomposition parameters of Orthorhombic C _mcm crystal structure of ZrBe _2 D _0.67 . The energies of endothermic reactions of the corresponding transitions and decompositions of deuteride phases were estimated, and the activation energy of the interaction of water vapor with the surface of zirconium beryllide samples was also estimated.

Keywords

• hydride
• zirconium beryllide
• deuterium
• thermal gravimetic analysis