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Impact of LWR assembly structural features on cladding burst behavior under LOCA conditions

Journal Article · · Nuclear Engineering and Design
 [1];  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
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This provides an initial scoping study on clad balloon and burst behavior for burnup extension of reactor fuel. The associated issues with burnup extension are fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal in the event of cladding failure. The general finding of this work is that the structural features, spacer grids and mixing vanes, locally suppress cladding deformation but have little impact on the overall clad performance during loss-of-coolant accidents. The work detailed in a previous report by Capps et al. focused on core optimization via neutronics, thermal hydraulics and thermomechanical analysis for burnups beyond 62 GWD/tU and enrichments above 5%. Uncertainty of fuel fragmentation relocation and dispersal in high-burnup rods during accident conditions was also investigated. The dispersal aspect of fuel fragmentation depends on cladding rupture. Thus, assessing uncertainties in the rupture behavior is helpful in estimating the dispersal of high-burnup fuel. This study builds on the previous work by assessing the impact of assembly structural features on cladding balloon and burst behavior in a full-length fuel rod. In this work, the BISON fuel performance code was used to generate 2D radial and height meshes containing structural features commonly used in nuclear fuel assemblies. First, meshes were generated with spacer grids. Results were then compared to the cladding burst temperature and balloon strain results from the previous work. A mesh sensitivity study was performed to ensure that mixing vanes and spacer grid effects were appropriately considered, resulting in a more refined mesh than the previous study. The balloon deformation and burst times of the cladding were compared to the original case. Consideration was also given to the effect of rod initial pressure. In conclusion, 3D quarter rod simulations were also performed and found good agreement with the 2D simulations in clad deformation and reasonable agreement in burst times.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Supply Chain. Advanced Fuel Campaign
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
2281141
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2279119
Journal Information:
Nuclear Engineering and Design, Journal Name: Nuclear Engineering and Design Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 418; ISSN 0029-5493
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (5)

libMesh : a C++ library for parallel adaptive mesh refinement/coarsening simulations journal November 2006
The TRANSURANUS mechanical model for large strain analysis journal September 2014
BISON: A Flexible Code for Advanced Simulation of the Performance of Multiple Nuclear Fuel Forms journal March 2021
Multiphysics Analysis of Fuel Fragmentation, Relocation, and Dispersal Susceptibility–Part 2: High-Burnup Steady-State Operating and Fuel Performance Conditions journal March 2023
Multiphysics Analysis of Fuel Fragmentation, Relocation, and Dispersal Susceptibility–Part 3: Thermal Hydraulic Evaluation of Large Break Loca Under High-Burnup Conditions journal March 2023

Figures / Tables (27)

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Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
Balloon
Burst
Clad
LOCA
Zircaloy