The behavior of breached boiling water reactor fuel rods on long-term exposure to air and argon at 598 K
Two irradiated boiling water reactor fuel rods with breached cladding were exposed to argon and to air at 598 K for 7.56 Ms (2100 h). These tests were conducted to determine fuel swelling and cladding crack propagation under conditions that promote UO/sub 2/ fuel oxidation and to observe the behavior of water-logged breached fuel in an inert gas environment. The two rods were selected for testing after extensive hot cell examination had shown the cladding of both rods to be breached with several centimetres of open cracks; the cracks were characterized in detail before the test. As part of the experiment, the amount of the readily removable water contained in the fuel rods was determined. To oxidize the fuel to a significant level ( about10%), the air in the annealine capsule was replenished approximately daily. The depletion of oxygen available in the air capsule due to fuel oxidation occurred in about0.036 Ms (10 h). At the end of the test period, about6% of the fuel is estimated to have oxidized. Posttest examination of the rods showed that cladding degradation resulted from swelling due to oxidation of the fuel in the air environment. The cladding degradation was localized and fuel oxidation did not measurably extend beyond the cladding breach. No cladding degradation was measurable in the breached fuel rod tested in argon.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Columbus Laboratories, Columbus, OH
- OSTI ID:
- 6497553
- Journal Information:
- Nucl. Technol.; (United States), Vol. 69:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BWR TYPE REACTORS
FUEL RODS
CRACK PROPAGATION
DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
SWELLING
URANIUM DIOXIDE
OXIDATION
AIR
ARGON
FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE
FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS
RUPTURES
WATER SATURATION
ACCIDENTS
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
FAILURES
FLUIDS
FUEL ELEMENTS
GASES
MATERIALS TESTING
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RARE GASES
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SATURATION
TESTING
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
210100* - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
360103 - Metals & Alloys- Mechanical Properties