Rate Theory Modeling and Simulation of Silicide Fuel at LWR Conditions

Technical Report · Mon Aug 29 00:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1327817· OSTI ID:1327817

Miao, Yinbin ^[1]; Ye, Bei ^[1]; Hofman, Gerard ^[1]; Yacout, Abdellatif ^[1]; Gamble, Kyle ^[2]; Mei, Zhi-Gang ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division
2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Fuel Modeling and Simulation

As a promising candidate for the accident tolerant fuel (ATF) used in light water reactors (LWRs), the fuel performance of uranium silicide (U₃Si₂) at LWR conditions needs to be well understood. In this report, rate theory model was developed based on existing experimental data and density functional theory (DFT) calculations so as to predict the fission gas behavior in U₃Si₂ at LWR conditions. The fission gas behavior of U₃Si₂ can be divided into three temperature regimes. During steady-state operation, the majority of the fission gas stays in intragranular bubbles, whereas the dominance of intergranular bubbles and fission gas release only occurs beyond 1000 K. The steady-state rate theory model was also used as reference to establish a gaseous swelling correlation of U₃Si₂ for the BISON code. Meanwhile, the overpressurized bubble model was also developed so that the fission gas behavior at LOCA can be simulated. LOCA simulation showed that intragranular bubbles are still dominant after a 70 second LOCA, resulting in a controllable gaseous swelling. The fission gas behavior of U₃Si₂ at LWR conditions is benign according to the rate theory prediction at both steady-state and LOCA conditions, which provides important references to the qualification of U₃Si₂ as a LWR fuel material with excellent fuel performance and enhanced accident tolerance.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1327817
• Report Number(s): ANL/NE-16/13; 130024; TRN: US1700324
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
URANIUM SILICIDES
ACCIDENT-TOLERANT NUCLEAR FUELS
LOSS OF COOLANT
FISSION PRODUCTS
DENSITY FUNCTIONAL METHOD
REACTOR ACCIDENT SIMULATION
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
BUBBLES
SWELLING
WATER COOLED REACTORS
PERFORMANCE
FISSION PRODUCT RELEASE