Demonstration of fuel resistant to pellet-cladding interaction. First semiannual report, July-December 1977

Technical Report · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5518260· OSTI ID:5518260

Rosenbaum, H. S. ^[1]

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1. comp.

Objective is the demonstration od advanced fuel concepts that are resistant to the failure mechanism known as fuel pellet-cladding interaction (PCI). Since currently used fuel in the nuclear power industry is subject to the PCI failure mechanism, reactor operators limit the rates of power increases and thus reduce their capacity factors in order to protect the fuel. Two barrier concepts are being prepared for demonstration: (a) Cu-Barrier fuel and (b) Zr-Liner fuel. The large-scale demonstration of the PCI-resistant fuel is being designed generically to show feasibility of such a demonstration in a commercial power reactor of type BWR/3 having a steady-state core. Using the core of Quad Cities-1 reactor at the beginning of Cycle 6, the insertion of the demonstration PCI-resistant fuel and the reactor operational plan are being designed. Support laboratory tests to date for the Demonstration have shown that these barrier fuels (both the Cu-Barrier and the Zr-Liner types) are resistant to PCI. Four lead test assemblies (LTA) of the advanced PCI-resistant fuel are being fabricated for insertion into the Quad Cities-1 Boiling Water Reactor at the beginning of Cycle 5 (January 1979).

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., San Jose, CA (USA). Nuclear Energy Engineering Div.
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-77QQ04473
• OSTI ID: 5518260
• Report Number(s): GEAP-23773; ON: DE84004977
• 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
BWR TYPE REACTORS
COPPER
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
LINERS
METALS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER REACTORS
QUAD CITIES-1 REACTOR
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCONIUM