Fission product release from BWR fuel under LOCA conditions

Technical Report · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5320664

Lorenz, R A; Collins, J L; Osborne, M F; Towns, R L; Malinauskas, A P

Fission product release tests were performed with commercial fuel irradiated to 13,000 MWd/metric ton in the Peach Bottom-2 boiling water reactor under conditions that resulted in the accumulation of relatively large amounts of cesium and iodine fission products in the pellet-to-cladding gap space. Burst release tests (i.e., the rupture of prepressurized fuel rod segments, each 30.5 cm long) were performed at 850 and 960/sup 0/C in steam, and one diffusional release test was performed at 1200/sup 0/C with a previously ruptured test piece. In a fourth test, the pellet-to-cladding gap space of a test segment was purged with purified helium so that the amounts of cesium and iodine that were released from the gap space at temperatures less than or equal to1100/sup 0/C could be measured. The measured gap inventories were used as input parameters, and the burst release and diffusional release results for cesium and iodine were compared with predictions made from the previously published Source Term Model. Good agreement was obtained, thus adding confidence that the Source Term Model is valid for the full range of gap inventories anticipated for commercial light water reactor fuel. 20 refs., 18 figs., 17 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 5320664
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-1773; ORNL/NUREG/TM-388; ON: TI85015897
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210100 -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220900* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Reactor Safety
ACCIDENTS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALLOYS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BURNUP
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FAILURES
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE
FUEL CANS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IODINE 129
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
KRYPTON 85
KRYPTON ISOTOPES
LOSS OF COOLANT
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
RUPTURES
SAFETY
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
TIN ALLOYS
VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE
VOIDS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCALOY
ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS
ZIRCONIUM BASE ALLOYS