Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Failed fuel pin performance in fast metal-cooled reactors

Journal Article · · Nucl. Technol.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5124660
Experience with continued operation of failed mixed-oxide fuel pins in liquid-metal-cooled reactors or in-pile sodium loops is available from a variety of beyond-fuel-failure experiments. The phenomena and effects on a large reactor system of continued beyond-fuel-failure operation are not well understood, but, except for the release and deposition of fission products and the chemical reaction of sodium coolant to oxide fuel, leading to pin swelling, no failure propagation due to continued operation of failed fuel pins has been observed. For economic reactor operation, further investigations are needed to establish a catalog of fuel failure types, sizes, and locations to describe the time-dependent effects of continued operation on reactor operation, shutdown requirements, instrumentation, surveillance, circuit systems, contamination, maintenance systems, and plant efficiency.
Research Organization:
Gesellschaft fuer Kernforschung mbH, Karlsruhe, Ger.
OSTI ID:
5124660
Journal Information:
Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 37:1; ISSN NUTYB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English