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The effect of power change on the PCI failure threshold

Abstract

Investigations of the PCI mechanism have led to the conclusion that the failure threshold is best defined by the power change ({delta}P) during the ramp, rather than the final power achieved at the end of the ramp. The data base studied was comprehensive and includes a wide variety of water reactor systems and fuel designs. It has also been found that operating parameters have a more significant effect on failure susceptibility than fuel rod design variables. The most significant operating variable affecting the failure threshold was found to be the base irradiation history, indicating that fission product release and migration prior to the ramp (during base irradiation) is an important consideration. It can be shown that fuel irradiated at relatively higher linear heat ratings ends to fail at lower {delta}P. This effect has also been independently verified by statistical analyses which will also be discussed. Industry out-of-pile internal gas pressurization tests with irradiated tubing in the absence of simulated fission product species and at low stress levels, also tends to indicate the importance of the prior irradiation history on PCI performance. Other parameters that affect the power ramping performance are the initial ramping power and the pellet power distribution which  More>>
Authors:
Sipush, P J; Kaiser, R S [1] 
  1. Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel Division, Pittsburg, PA (United States)
Publication Date:
Jun 01, 1983
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IWGFPT-14
Resource Relation:
Conference: IAEA-IWGFPT specialists' meeting on power ramping and cycling behaviour of water reactor fuel, Petten (Netherlands), 8-9 Sep 1982; Other Information: 16 refs, 11 figs; PBD: Jun 1983; Related Information: In: IAEA specialists' meeting on power ramping and cycling behaviour of water reactor fuel. Summary report, 243 pages.
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; BURNUP; FISSION PRODUCTS; FUEL ELEMENT FAILURE; FUEL-CLADDING INTERACTIONS; POWER DENSITY; POWER DISTRIBUTION; WATER COOLED REACTORS
OSTI ID:
20252579
Research Organizations:
International Atomic Energy Agency, International Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology for Water Reactors, Vienna (Austria)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
TRN: XA0201776022442
Availability:
Available from INIS in electronic form
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 95-103
Announcement Date:
Jul 02, 2002

Citation Formats

Sipush, P J, and Kaiser, R S. The effect of power change on the PCI failure threshold. IAEA: N. p., 1983. Web.
Sipush, P J, & Kaiser, R S. The effect of power change on the PCI failure threshold. IAEA.
Sipush, P J, and Kaiser, R S. 1983. "The effect of power change on the PCI failure threshold." IAEA.
@misc{etde_20252579,
title = {The effect of power change on the PCI failure threshold}
author = {Sipush, P J, and Kaiser, R S}
abstractNote = {Investigations of the PCI mechanism have led to the conclusion that the failure threshold is best defined by the power change ({delta}P) during the ramp, rather than the final power achieved at the end of the ramp. The data base studied was comprehensive and includes a wide variety of water reactor systems and fuel designs. It has also been found that operating parameters have a more significant effect on failure susceptibility than fuel rod design variables. The most significant operating variable affecting the failure threshold was found to be the base irradiation history, indicating that fission product release and migration prior to the ramp (during base irradiation) is an important consideration. It can be shown that fuel irradiated at relatively higher linear heat ratings ends to fail at lower {delta}P. This effect has also been independently verified by statistical analyses which will also be discussed. Industry out-of-pile internal gas pressurization tests with irradiated tubing in the absence of simulated fission product species and at low stress levels, also tends to indicate the importance of the prior irradiation history on PCI performance. Other parameters that affect the power ramping performance are the initial ramping power and the pellet power distribution which is a function of fuel enrichment and burnup. (author)}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1983}
month = {Jun}
}