Canadian perspective on fuel integrity performance indicators

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6300849

Manzer, A M; Sancton, R W; Macici, N

Fuel integrity performance indicators in the Canadian nuclear industry are obtained by monitoring both delayed-neutron activity and gamma-ray activity in the primary circuit. These indicators are important not only for detecting and locating defective fuel but for detecting uranium release from the defects. Uranium release is undesirable because many radioactive fission products are tightly trapped within the UO/sub 2/ matrix and are released to the coolsang along with the uranium. These fission products are not easily removed by the purification systems and tend to deposit with the uranium within the heat transport system. The delayed-neutron-emitting fission products /sup 137/I and /sup 87/Br are used primarily to locate fuel defects during reactor operation among several hundred fuel channels in the core and to determine when defects release uranium to the coolant. Alternately, certain gamma-emitting fission products in the primary coolant, the subject of this paper, can also be used to extract similar information. This is done by exploiting the relationships between the two sources of fission products in the coolant: uranium contamination and defective fuel. In Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactors with on-power refueling capability, this information provides a basis for deciding when to remove fuel defects from an economic standpoint.

• Research Organization: Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario (CA); New Brunswick Electric Power Commission, Fredericton, New Brunswick (CA); Hydro Quebec, Gentilly, Quebec (CA)
• OSTI ID: 6300849
• Report Number(s): CONF-870837-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 54:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300 -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
220400* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Control Systems
ACTINIDES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BROMINE 87
BROMINE ISOTOPES
CANADA
CANDU TYPE REACTORS
COOLING SYSTEMS
DEFECTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
FUELS
GAMMA RADIATION
HEAVY WATER MODERATED REACTORS
INDUSTRY
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE 137
IODINE ISOTOPES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
MONITORING
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PERFORMANCE
PRESSURE TUBE REACTORS
PRIMARY COOLANT CIRCUITS
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
RELIABILITY
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
THERMAL REACTORS
URANIUM