High-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel pressure vessel performance models

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5058030

Kovacs, W J; Bongartz, K; Goodin, D T

A Triso-coated particle stress model was used to describe pressure vessel failure in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor fuel particles. Two separate failure modes were treated, namely, category I, which applies to standard particles characterized by a load-bearing silicon carbide (SiC) layer and instantaneous pyrolytic carbon (PyC) and SiC failure, and category II, which applies to particles with a defective SiC layer incapable of supporting a tensile load. Closed-form solutions, which describe PyC and SiC coating layer stresses as a function of irradiation conditions and particle geometry, were adapted to Monte Carlo calculational routines. The PyC and SiC stresses were calculated for a large number (10/sup 4/ to 10/sup 6/) of particles, and particle failure was predicted to occur when the calculated coating layer tensile stresses exceeded either the SiC (category I failure) or PyC (category II failure) fracture lengths. Model predictions are generally consistent with irradiation test results and serve as a useful guide for particle design optimization studies and in-core fuel performance evaluations.

• Research Organization: GA Technologies, Inc., San Diego, California
• OSTI ID: 5058030
• Journal Information: Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 68:3; ISSN NUTYB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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