Qualification of the B and W Mark B fuel assembly for high burnup. First semi-annual progress report, July-December 1978

Technical Report · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5814692· OSTI ID:5814692

Coleman, T. A.; Coppola, E. J.; Doss, P. L.; Uotinen, V. O.; Davis, H. H.

Five Babcock and Wilcox standard Mark B (15 x 15) fuel assemblies are being irradiated in Duke Power Company's Oconee Unit 1 reactor under a research and development program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Valuable experimental data on fuel performance characteristics at burnups of > 40,000 MWd/mtU will be obtained from these assemblies. This information, at a duty approximately 20% greater than that achieved by typical discharged assemblies, will be used to qualify standard Mark B fuel assemblies for extended burnups. Efforts during this period included fuel cycle design and reload licensing of Oconee 1 for cycle 5, in which the assemblies are being irradiated, and nondestructive examination of the assemblies during the refueling outage between cycles 4 and 5. The Oconee 1 cycle 5 startup tests proceeded in a routine manner, and the reactor has operated with a 92% capacity factor since completion of power escalation testing on November 10, 1978. Irradiation of the fuel assemblies is currently in progress.

• Research Organization: Babcock and Wilcox Co., Lynchburg, VA (USA). Nuclear Power Generation Div.; Babcock and Wilcox Co., Alliance, OH (USA). Contract Research Div.; Babcock and Wilcox Co., Lynchburg, VA (USA). Research and Development Div.; Duke Power Co., Charlotte, NC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: ET-78-C-02-4711
• OSTI ID: 5814692
• Report Number(s): COO-4711-19; BAW-1546-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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