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U.S. Department of Energy
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HIGH BURNUP FUEL-COOLANT INTERACTION ANALYSIS SUPPORTING FUEL SAFETY TESTING AT IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY

Conference ·
OSTI ID:3029240
In the near future, experiments on HBu fuel under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) conditions will be performed within the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). These experiments will be performed using the Transient Water Irradiation System for TREAT (TWIST) experiment vehicle. To support these experiments, analysis of fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) energetics is underway. This paper discusses FCIs in the context of light water reactor (LWR) safety, differentiating between the severe accident focus of commercial reactors and experimental RIA test programs where FCIs have occurred. However, it is highlighted that as the nuclear industry aims for increased burnup limits, the FCI events observed in RIA test programs may become relevant to commercial LWR safety analysis. The paper then presents developments to the UW-FCI computer program to enable simulation of FCIs initiated by solid fuel particles dispersing into the coolant during RIAs.
Research Organization:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE); USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-05ID14517;
OSTI ID:
3029240
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-24-79974-Rev000
Resource Type:
Conference proceedings
Conference Information:
TopFuel 2024, Grenoble, France, 09/29/2024 - 10/03/2024
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English