Low Burnup Inert Matrix Fuels Performance: TRANSURANUS Analysis of the Halden IFA-652 First Irradiation Cycle
- ENEA, Nuclear Fission Division, via Martin di Monte Sole 4, 40129 Bologna (Italy)
- OECD Halden Reactor Project, Institutt for energiteknikk, P.O. Box 175, N-1751 Halden (Norway)
The inert matrix fuels are a promising option to reduce-eliminate worldwide plutonium stockpiles by burning it in LWRs. These fuels, where plutonium is hosted in a U-free inert matrix phase, may reach high burning efficiency while preventing new plutonium build-up under irradiation. A specific investigation on CSZ and thoria inert matrices has been developed by ENEA since several years. In-pile testing on the ENEA-conceived innovative fuels is ongoing in the OECD Halden HBWR since June 2000 (IFA-652 experiment). The registered burnup at the end of 2005 is about 38 MWd.kgU{sub eq}{sup -1} vs. 45 MWd.kgU{sub eq}{sup -1} (40 MWd.kgUOX{sub eq}{sup -1}) target. Fuel pins are equipped with fuel temperature thermocouples, internal pressure transducers and fuel stack elongation sensors, with the task of studying thermal conductivity and its degradation with burnup, densification-swelling behaviour and the FGR. In this paper, the response at low burnup (< 7 MWd.kgU{sub eq}{sup -1}) of CSZ-based fuels loaded in IFA-652, is analysed by means of the TRANSURANUS code. To this purpose, a comprehensive modelling of the above mentioned un-irradiated fuels, mainly relying on the thermophysical characterisation performed at the JRC/ITU-Karlsruhe, has been implemented in a custom TRANSURANUS version (TU-IMF). A comparison of the code predictions vs. the experimental data, aimed at evaluating the early-stage under irradiation phenomena, particularly densification and relocation, has been performed. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- The ASME Foundation, Inc., Three Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5990 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 20995515
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 14. international conference on nuclear engineering (ICONE 14), Miami, FL (United States), 17-20 Jul 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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