MODELLING OF FUEL BEHAVIOUR DURING LOSS-OF-COOLANT ACCIDENTS USING THE BISON CODE

Conference · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 2015

OSTI ID:1357897

Pastore, G.; Novascone, S. R.; Williamson, R. L.; Hales, J. D.; Spencer, B. W.; Stafford, D. S.

This work presents recent developments to extend the BISON code to enable fuel performance analysis during LOCAs. This newly developed capability accounts for the main physical phenomena involved, as well as the interactions among them and with the global fuel rod thermo-mechanical analysis. Specifically, new multiphysics models are incorporated in the code to describe (1) transient fission gas behaviour, (2) rapid steam-cladding oxidation, (3) Zircaloy solid-solid phase transition, (4) hydrogen generation and transport through the cladding, and (5) Zircaloy high-temperature non-linear mechanical behaviour and failure. Basic model characteristics are described, and a demonstration BISON analysis of a LWR fuel rod undergoing a LOCA accident is presented. Also, as a first step of validation, the code with the new capability is applied to the simulation of experiments investigating cladding behaviour under LOCA conditions. The comparison of the results with the available experimental data of cladding failure due to burst is presented.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1357897
• Report Number(s): INL/CON-14-33933
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
BISON code
LOCA analysis