AGR-5/6/7 Release-to-Birth Ratio Data Analysis for Cycles 162B, 163A, 164A, and 164B
AGR-5/6/7 is the last of a series of Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) experiments conducted in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory in support of development and qualification of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) low-enriched fuel used in the high-temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR). Each AGR test consists of multiple independently controlled and monitored capsules containing fuel compacts placed in a graphite cylinder shrouded by a steel shell. These capsules are instrumented with thermocouples (TC) that are embedded in the graphite, thus providing feedback for temperature control. AGR configuration and irradiation conditions are based on prismatic HTGR technology that is distinguished primarily through use of helium coolant, a low-power-density ceramic core capable of withstanding very high temperatures, and TRISO-coated particle fuel. The AGR tests provide valuable irradiation-performance data to support fuel process development, qualify fuel for normal operation and accident conditions, and support development and validation of fuel performance and fission-product transport models and codes. The release-to-birth ratios (R/B) for fission-gas isotopes (i.e., krypton and xenon) are calculated from release rates into the sweep-gas flow, measured by the high-purity germanium detectors used in the AGR Fission Product Monitoring System (FPMS) installed downstream from each irradiated capsule. Birth rates are calculated based on the fission power in the experiment and models of fission-product generation. Thus, the R/B is a measure of the ability of fuel kernel, particle coating layers, and compact matrix to retain fission-gas atoms, preventing their release into the sweep-gas flow, especially in the presence of initially defective particle and/or the event of particle-coating failures that occurred during the irradiation. For fission-gas isotopes, particle failure occurred when all coating layers are fractured that allow gaseous fission atoms to escape from a particle. In this case, the R/B per-exposed-kernel is used to compare fuel performance across experiments.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE-NE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-05ID14517
- OSTI ID:
- 1542583
- Report Number(s):
- INL/EXT-19-54457-Rev000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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