Evaluation of Mechanistic and Empirical Models against Existing FFRD and LOCA Experimental Databases

Technical Report · Fri Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2382676· OSTI ID:2382676

Gamble, Kyle A ^[1]; Sweet, Ryan Terrence ^[1]; Simon, Pierre-Clément A. ^[1]; Aagesen Jr., Larry Kenneth ^[1]; Biswas, Sudipta ^[1]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

The desire of the nuclear industry to improve the economics of existing nuclear power plants has necessitated research into the potential of a phenomenon known as fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD). This phenomenon is possible during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) at relatively high burnup. The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program has been developing simulation capabilities for FFRD and LOCA in the BISON fuel performance code for multiple years. This year, the effort has been focused on evaluating new lower length scale informed pulverization thresholds as well as updating and adding new empirical models for various phenomena. Models added or updated this year include a preliminary transient fission gas release model, new high-temperature Zircaloy creep models, a Zircaloy rupture opening area model, and a temperature-dependent emissivity during radiation from the fuel rod to the surrounding atmosphere. The models are verified through implementation tests to demonstrate code correctness after addition to BISON. The models are then assessed against a subset of the existing BISON validation suite for LOCA and FFRD cases. Two new cases, Studsvik Rods 192 and 193, have been added. The results indicate that the inclusion of a bubble pressure evolution model in the bubbles in the high-burnup structure has the largest impact compared to the 3D fracture criterion on reducing the calculated amount of pulverized fuel.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 2382676
• Report Number(s): INL/RPT--22-69625-Rev000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BISON
Pulverization
Transient Fission Gas Release
Validation