Life-limiting aspects of GCFR core assembly designs

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5944631· OSTI ID:5944631

LaBar, M. P.

A review is made of the various potential life-limiting effects of current consideration in the GCFR core assemblies. The most life-limiting aspects are not related to individual fuel rod behavior characteristics, but rather to distortions within the rod bundles. Fuel rod internal fission gas is not limiting, as it is in most fast reactors, because of the GCFR pressure-equalization system. The life-limiting bundle distortions are the result of neutron-flux-enhanced creep and fast-fluence-induced metal swelling. These effects are somewhat unique to fast reactors and are material dependent. The current evaluations apply to the use of 20% cold-worked type 316 stainless steel as the core structural material. Alternate structural materials having lower neutron-fluence-induced metal swelling would reduce the distortions, in which case, the most life-limiting effect would likely be one of the more traditional effects such as fuel-clad mechanical interaction (FCMI).

• Research Organization: General Atomic Co., San Diego, CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-03-0167-023
• OSTI ID: 5944631
• Report Number(s): GA-A-15518
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
BREEDER REACTORS
CREEP
DEFORMATION
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
GAS COOLED REACTORS
GCFR REACTOR
GCFR TYPE REACTORS
HELIUM COOLED REACTORS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
PERFORMANCE
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
WEAR