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Multiphysics analysis of fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal susceptibility–Part 1: Overview and code coupling strategies

Journal Article · · Annals of Nuclear Energy
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
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The US nuclear energy industry is investigating strategies to increase the reactor operating cycle to 24 months, resulting in peak rod average burnups exceeding the current limit of 62 GWd/tU. This increase will in turn increase the probability of fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD) in the event of a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). This effort couples multiple codes to (1) evaluate full-core power histories for high-burnup fuel operated in a Westinghouse 4-loop pressurized water reactor, (2) model a postulated large-break LOCA, and (3) calculate the mass of fuel susceptible to FFRD. This paper, the first of three describing the work, focuses on code coupling strategies and FFRD susceptibility calculations. The other two companion papers focus on code-specific designs and analyses. Three codes were used in this work. VERA was used to calculate steady-state power histories, TRACE was used to model the transient thermal hydraulics, and BISON was used to model steady-state and transient fuel performance and cladding failure. Herein, several fuel pulverization models were used to calculate FFRD susceptibility in failed rods. Depending on the cladding failure/fuel pulverization model combination, the core-wide FFRD susceptibility during the postulated LOCA range from 0 to over 5,000 kg.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1975353
Journal Information:
Annals of Nuclear Energy, Journal Name: Annals of Nuclear Energy Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 191; ISSN 0306-4549
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (8)

The Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA): Design and architecture journal December 2016
The TRANSURANUS mechanical model for large strain analysis journal September 2014
Development and demonstration of a methodology to evaluate high burnup fuel susceptibility to pulverization under a loss of coolant transient journal September 2020
Full core LOCA safety analysis for a PWR containing high burnup fuel journal August 2021
Model for determining rupture area in Zircaloy cladding under LOCA conditions journal January 2023
BISON: A Flexible Code for Advanced Simulation of the Performance of Multiple Nuclear Fuel Forms journal March 2021
An Assessment of the Fuel Pulverization Threshold During LOCA-Type Temperature Transients journal April 2015
Burst Criterion of Zircaloy Fuel Claddings in a Loss-of-Coolant Accident book January 1982

Figures / Tables (15)

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Table 1(p. 17)table Table 1
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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
BISON
Code coupling
FFRD
High burnup
Nuclear fuels
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