Fuel performance analysis of FeCrAl cladding during LWR operation
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37916 (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States)
This work focuses on modeling the integral thermo-mechanical performance of FeCrAl cladded fuel during normal operation in light-water reactors. Preliminary analysis has been performed to assess FeCrAl alloys (namely Alkrothal 720 and APMT) as a suitable fuel cladding replacement for Zr-alloys, using the MOOSE-based, finite-element fuel performance code BISON. These simulations identify the effects of the mechanical-stress and irradiation responses of FeCrAl and provide a comparison with Zr-alloys. In comparing these clad materials, fuel rods have been simulated for normal reactor operation and simple steady-state operation. Normal reactor operating conditions target the cladding performance over the rod lifetime (∼4 cycles) for the highest-power rod in the highest-power fuel assembly under reactor power maneuvering. The power histories and axial temperature profiles input into BISON were generated from a neutronics study on full-core reactivity equivalence for FeCrAl using the 3D full core simulator NESTLE. Evolution of the FeCrAl cladding behavior over time is evaluated by using steady-state operating conditions such as a simple axial power profile, a constant cladding surface temperature, and a constant fuel power history. The fuel rod designs and operating conditions used are based off the Peach Bottom BWR and design consideration was given to minimize the neutronic penalty of the FeCrAl cladding by changing fuel enrichment and cladding thickness. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society - ANS, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22765228
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Fuel Performance Calculations for FeCrAl Cladding in BWRs
Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
B CODES
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CLADDING
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
ENRICHMENT
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL RODS
NUCLEAR FUELS
REACTOR OPERATION
SIMULATORS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
STRESSES
THICKNESS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS