The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment
Abstract
AGR-3/4 was the combined third and fourth planned irradiations for the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. The primary purpose of the AGR program is to support the development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors. AGR-3/4 was designed as a fission product transport irradiation experiment whose specific objectives were to: (1) irradiate fuel containing UCO (uranium oxycarbide) designed-to-fail (DTF) fuel particles that provide a fixed source of fission products for subsequent transport through compact matrix and structural graphite materials, (2) assess the effects of sweep gas impurities on fuel performance and fission product transport, (3) provide irradiated fuel and material samples for post-irradiation examination and post-irradiation heating, and (4) support the refinement of fuel performance and fission product transport models. The AGR-3/4 test train was irradiated in the northeast flux trap of the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory for 369.1 effective full power days from December 2011 to April 2014. The experiment was successful in achieving its specification goals in terms of burnup and fast fluence levels reached at the end of irradiation and fuel temperature levels maintained throughout irradiation: peakmore »
- Authors:
-
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1477031
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1548863
- Report Number(s):
- INL/JOU-17-42937-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5493
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Nuclear Engineering and Design
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 327; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5493
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; post-irradiation examination; TRISO; High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors; Advanced Gas Reactor; designed-to-fail
Citation Formats
Collin, Blaise P., Demkowicz, Paul A., Petti, David A., Hawkes, Grant L., Palmer, Joe, Pham, Binh T., Scates, Dawn M., and Sterbentz, James W. The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.12.016.
Collin, Blaise P., Demkowicz, Paul A., Petti, David A., Hawkes, Grant L., Palmer, Joe, Pham, Binh T., Scates, Dawn M., & Sterbentz, James W. The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.12.016
Collin, Blaise P., Demkowicz, Paul A., Petti, David A., Hawkes, Grant L., Palmer, Joe, Pham, Binh T., Scates, Dawn M., and Sterbentz, James W. Sat .
"The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.12.016. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1477031.
@article{osti_1477031,
title = {The AGR-3/4 fission product transport irradiation experiment},
author = {Collin, Blaise P. and Demkowicz, Paul A. and Petti, David A. and Hawkes, Grant L. and Palmer, Joe and Pham, Binh T. and Scates, Dawn M. and Sterbentz, James W.},
abstractNote = {AGR-3/4 was the combined third and fourth planned irradiations for the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. The primary purpose of the AGR program is to support the development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) coated particle fuel for use in High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors. AGR-3/4 was designed as a fission product transport irradiation experiment whose specific objectives were to: (1) irradiate fuel containing UCO (uranium oxycarbide) designed-to-fail (DTF) fuel particles that provide a fixed source of fission products for subsequent transport through compact matrix and structural graphite materials, (2) assess the effects of sweep gas impurities on fuel performance and fission product transport, (3) provide irradiated fuel and material samples for post-irradiation examination and post-irradiation heating, and (4) support the refinement of fuel performance and fission product transport models. The AGR-3/4 test train was irradiated in the northeast flux trap of the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory for 369.1 effective full power days from December 2011 to April 2014. The experiment was successful in achieving its specification goals in terms of burnup and fast fluence levels reached at the end of irradiation and fuel temperature levels maintained throughout irradiation: peak compact burnup reached 15.27% fissions per initial heavy-metal atom and peak compact fast fluence reached 5.32 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.18 MeV), while the time-average volume-average temperatures of the compacts ranged from 854 to 1345°C. Fission product release to birth ratios reached values in the 10-4 - 10-3 range early during irradiation as the DTF particles started to fail. In conclusion, subsequent post-irradiation examination will provide information on fission product distributions in matrix and core graphite materials, enabling refinement of fission product transport models.},
doi = {10.1016/j.nucengdes.2017.12.016},
journal = {Nuclear Engineering and Design},
number = C,
volume = 327,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Sat Dec 23 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
Web of Science