Mixed oxide run-beyond-cladding-breach tests in EBR-II
Fuel pin and subassembly design and quality control during fabrication are intended to ensure that fuel pins can reach goal exposure without cladding breach. However, premature random cladding breaches cannot be precluded. Economic commercial operation of sodium-cooled Fast Breeder Reactors may require operation with breached fuel pins in the core. The alternative to this mode of operation is to remove subassemblies with breached fuel pins at the first indication of cladding breach which is both time consuming and costly. An objective of the U.S. Run-Beyond-Cladding-Breach (RBCB) program is to understand the behavior of mixed oxide fuel during continued irradiation in the post-breach condition. The paper presents the results from the initial RBCB tests of mixed-oxide fuels which were conducted in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II). Tests conducted to calibrate the EBR-II fission product monitors are also briefly described.
- Research Organization:
- Hanford Engineering Development Lab., Richland, WA (USA); Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (USA); Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6169377
- Report Number(s):
- HEDL-SA-1536-FP; CONF-790306-9
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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210500* -- Power Reactors
Breeding
ACCIDENTS
BREEDER REACTORS
EBR-2 REACTOR
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
EXPERIMENTAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FUEL ASSEMBLIES
FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL PINS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POWER REACTORS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
SODIUM COOLED REACTORS
TESTING