Irradiation performance capabilities of oxide fuel rods X-1-u test of two 100-inch long highly rated annular ZrO/sub 2/ + UO/sub 2/ fuel rods (LWBR Development Program)

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1966

OSTI ID:6761429

Rubin, B; Daniel, R C; Lynam, L; McCauley, J E; Meieran, H B

The in-pile performance capabilities of a 100-in.-long, segmented oxide fuel rod were determined. The rod contained 99% T. D. annular pellets of ZrO/sub 2/ + 55.4 wt % U/sup E/O/sub 2/, 99% T. D. annular pellets of ZrO/sub 2/ + 46.7 wt % U/sup E/O/sub 2/, and 81% T. D. solid pellets of ThO/sub 2/ + 14.9 wt % UO/sub 2/ in a Zircaloy-4 sheath fabricated by 78% cold working followed by four hours at 950/sup 0/F stress relief anneal. The rod failed after 10 x 10/sup 20/ fissions/cc at 685,000 Btu/hr-ft by localized oxidation and spalling of the outside cladding surface due to steam blanketing. This represented one-third of the design burnup. The cause of the burnout is tentatively attributed to water channel reduction caused by dimensional instability of the tubing and fuel plasticity due to operation at high temperature. The annular fuel pellet was shown to exhibit swelling into the center hole. Severe embrittlement of the sheath occurred after failure due to massive internal hydriding at localized positions. Gamma scanning and neutron radiography were shown to be valuable experimental tools in nondestructive evaluation of rod performance. Measurements of fuel conductivities were made using microstructural markers in the fuel. (NSA 21: 1962)

• Research Organization: Bettis Atomic Power Lab., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(11-1)-GEN-14
• OSTI ID: 6761429
• Report Number(s): WAPD-TM-574
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220300* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology-- Fuel Elements
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
BREEDER REACTORS
BURNOUT
CHALCOGENIDES
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL RODS
FUEL SCANNING
GAMMA FUEL SCANNING
GAMMA RADIOGRAPHY
INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY
LWBR TYPE REACTORS
MATERIALS TESTING
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION EFFECTS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
SWELLING
TESTING
THERMAL REACTORS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM DIOXIDE
URANIUM OXIDES
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
ZIRCONIUM COMPOUNDS
ZIRCONIUM OXIDES