https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0879-3036
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Abstract
This paper presents the fuel performance simulation of two past experiments that are concerned with partial fuel melting. The activity is conducted in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency Power to Melt and Maneuverability (P2M) – Second Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES-II) Joint ExpErimental Programme (JEEP). The xM3 transient experiment involved uranium oxide (UO2) fuel with a ZIRconium Low Oxidation alloy (ZIRLO) cladding base irradiated up to 27 MWd/kg U, followed a ramp test up to 70 kW/m leading to inception of melting. The High Burnup Chemistry Experiment 4 (HBC4) transient was performed according to a rapid power ramp, on a UO2 fuel with a Zircaloy-4 cladding base irradiated up to 47 MWd/kg U. The linear heat generation rate reached 66.3 kW/m at the end of the transient leading to inception of melting and rodlet failure. Three main cases per each of the two transients were modeled with the TRANSURANUS code version 2015 in agreement with the benchmark specifications to consider uncertainty on the power during the ramping phases. The paper presents and discusses the analysis of these tests and provides an in-depth sensitivity analysis to assess the capabilities of the code as well as the effect of user choices in simulating the base irradiation and the inception of melting in light water reactor fuel rods.
Acronyms
| AR: | = | after ramp |
| BI: | = | base irradiation |
| BR2: | = | Belgian Reactor 2 |
| BR3: | = | Belgian Reactor 3 |
| CRP: | = | Coordinated Research Project |
| EPRI: | = | Electric Power Research Institute |
| EPRI/C-E/KWU: | = | Electric Power Research Institute/Combustion Engineering/Kraftwerk Union |
| FGR: | = | fission gas release |
| FIDES-II: | = | Second Framework for Irradiation Experiments |
| FP: | = | fission product |
| HBC4: | = | High Burnup Chemistry Experiment 4 |
| HBS: | = | high-burnup structure |
| IAEA: | = | International Atomic Energy Agency |
| ITU: | = | Institute for Transuranium Elements (Karlsruhe) |
| JEEP: | = | Joint ExpErimental Programme |
| LHGR: | = | linear heat generation rate (also referred as LHR) |
| LHR: | = | linear heating rate |
| LWR: | = | light water reactor |
| OECD/NEA: | = | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency |
| P2M: | = | Power to Melt and Maneuverability |
| PCI: | = | pellet-to-cladding interaction |
| PCMI: | = | pellet-to-cladding mechanical interaction |
| PIE: | = | postirradiation examinations |
| PWC: | = | pressurized water capsule |
| PWC-CD: | = | pressurized water capsule and calorimetric device |
| PWR: | = | pressurized water reactor |
| R2: | = | Studsvik Research Reactor 2 |
| RTL: | = | ramp terminal level |
| SCC: | = | iodine induced stress corrosion cracking |
| TU: | = | TRANSURANUS code |
| UO2: | = | uranium oxide |
| ZIRLO: | = | ZIRconium Low Oxidation alloy |
| Zry: | = | Zircaloy |
| Zr2: | = | Zircaloy-2 |
| Zr4: | = | Zircaloy-4 |
| 1-D: | = | one-dimensional |
| 3-D: | = | three-dimensional |
Nomenclature
| bu = | = | burnup (MWd/kg U) |
| Cpu = | = | plutonium concentration percent in weight (% wt) |
| cpu = | = | plutonium concentration weight fractional (/wt) |
| cw = | = | normalized amount of cold working |
| E/E’ = | = | Young’s modulus (MPa) |
| Tmelt-sol = | = | solidus melting temperature (℃) |
| Tmelt-liq = | = | liquidus melting temperature (℃) |
| u = | = | displacement induced by relocation (mm) |
| υ/υ’ = | = | Poisson number |
Greek
| εi = | = | strain into the direction i |
| Ө = | = | cladding average temperature (℃) |
| Φt = | = | fast neutrons (E > 0.82 MeV) fluence (neutron/cm2) |
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the members of the fuel modeling group of ITU for their generous availability and technical support. P2M is an activity conducted and funded through the Nuclear Energy Agency Joint International Project, Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES). V. D’Ambrosi is kindly acknowledged for fruitful discussions during the preparation of this paper.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).