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

Fuel rod behavior during Test PCM-4

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5982504
This report presents and discusses the results from Test PCM-4 of the Power-Cooling-Mismatch Test Series. The test was conducted by EG and G Idaho, Inc., in the Power Burst Facility (PBF) for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The test was performed primarily to obtain fuel rod behavior data under sustained film boiling conditions. Additional information to determine the power level and flow rate required to induce departure from nucleate boiling (DNB), and to characterize propagation and termination of film boiling was obtained. Four individually shrouded, pressurized water reactor (PWR) type fuel rods were subjected to four DNB cycles under PWR environmental conditions in the PBF in-pile test loop. Departure from nucleate boiling was induced by reducing the coolant flow while maintaining linear rod peak power constant at about 68 kW/m. During the fourth cycle, sustained film boiling occurred for over 100 s and cladding temperatures exceeded the zircaloy beta phase transformation temperature (> 1245 K). The fuel rod behavior during film boiling and the fuel rod damage as a result of the high temperature operation are discussed and conclusions are presented. The onset, propagation, and termination of film boiling are also discussed.
Research Organization:
Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
EY-76-C-07-1570
OSTI ID:
5982504
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-0903; TREE-1336
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English