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Sample records for burnup pwr fuel

  1. Modeling of PWR fuel at extended burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Raphael Mejias

    2016-01-01

    This work studies the modifications implemented over successive versions in the empirical models of the computer program FRAPCON used to simulate the steady state irradiation performance of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel rods under high burnup condition. In the study, the empirical models present in FRAPCON official documentation were analyzed. A literature study was conducted on the effects of high burnup in nuclear fuels and to improve the understanding of the models used by FRAPCON program in these conditions. A steady state fuel performance analysis was conducted for a typical PWR fuel rod using FRAPCON program versions 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5. The results presented by the different versions of the program were compared in order to verify the impact of model changes in the output parameters of the program. It was observed that the changes brought significant differences in the results of the fuel rod thermal and mechanical parameters, especially when they evolved from FRAPCON-3.3 version to FRAPCON-3.5 version. Lower temperatures, lower cladding stress and strain, lower cladding oxide layer thickness were obtained in the fuel rod analyzed with the FRAPCON-3.5 version. (author)

  2. PWR AXIAL BURNUP PROFILE ANALYSIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    J.M. Acaglione

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this activity is to develop a representative ''limiting'' axial burnup profile for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which would encompass the isotopic axial variations caused by different assembly irradiation histories, and produce conservative isotopics with respect to criticality. The effect that the low burnup regions near the ends of spent fuel have on system reactivity is termed the ''end-effect''. This calculation will quantify the end-effects associated with Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies emplaced in a hypothetical 21 PWR waste package. The scope of this calculation covers an initial enrichment range of 3.0 through 5.0 wt% U-235 and a burnup range of 10 through 50 GWd/MTU. This activity supports the validation of the process for ensuring conservative generation of spent fuel isotopics with respect to criticality safety applications, and the use of burnup credit for commercial spent nuclear fuel. The intended use of these results will be in the development of PWR waste package loading curves, and applications involving burnup credit. Limitations of this evaluation are that the limiting profiles are only confirmed for use with the B andW 15 x 15 fuel assembly design. However, this assembly design is considered bounding of all other typical commercial PWR fuel assembly designs. This calculation is subject to the Quality Assurance Requirements and Description (QARD) because this activity supports investigations of items or barriers on the Q-list (YMP 2001)

  3. Depletion of gadolinium burnable poison in a PWR assembly with high burnup fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Refeat, Riham Mahmoud [Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority (NRRA), Cairo (Egypt). Safety Engineering Dept.

    2015-12-15

    A tendency to increase the discharge burnup of nuclear fuel for Advanced Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) has been a characteristic of its operation for many years. It will be able to burn at very high burnup of about 70 GWd/t with UO{sub 2} fuels. The U-235 enrichment must be higher than 5 %, which leads to the necessity of using an extremely efficient burnable poison like Gadolinium oxide. Using gadolinium isotope is significant due to its particular depletion behavior (''Onion-Skin'' effect). In this paper, the MCNPX2.7 code is used to calculate the important neutronic parameters of the next generation fuels of PWR. K-infinity, local peaking factor and fission rate distributions are calculated for a PWR assembly which burn at very high burnup reaching 70 GWd/t. The calculations are performed using the recently released evaluated Gadolinium cross section data. The results obtained are close to those of a LWR next generation fuel benchmark problem. This demonstrates that the calculation scheme used is able to accurately model a PWR assembly that operates at high burnup values.

  4. Application of burnup credit for PWR spent fuel storage pool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hee Sung; Ro, Seung-Gy; Bae, Kang Mok; Kim, Ik Soo; Shin, Young Joon

    1999-01-01

    A study on the application of burnup credit for a PWR spent fuel storage pool has been investigated using a computer code system such as CSAS6 module of SCALE 4.3 in association with 44-group SCALE cross-section library. The calculation bias of the code system at a 95% probability with a 95% confidence level seems to be 0.00951 by benchmarking the system for forty six experimental data. With the aid of this computer code system, criticality analysis has been performed for the PWR spent fuel storage pool. Uncertainties due to postulated abnormal and accidental conditions, and manufacturing tolerance such as stainless steel thickness of storage rack, fuel enrichment, fuel density and box size have statistically been combined and resulted in 0.00674. Also, isotopic correction factor which was based on the calculated and measured concentration of 43 isotopes for both selected actinides and fission products important in burnup credit application has been taken into account in the criticality analysis. It is revealed that the minimum burnup with the corrected isotopic concentrations as required for the safe storage is 5,730 MWd/tU in enriched fuel of 5.0 wt%. (author)

  5. ABB PWR fuel design for high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nilsson, S.; Jourdain, P.; Limback, M.; Garde, A.M.

    1998-01-01

    Corrosion, hydriding and irradiation induced growth of a based materials are important factors for the high burnup performance of PWR fuel. ABB has developed a number of Zr based alloys to meet the need for fuel that enables operation to elevated burnups. The materials include composition and processing optimised Zircaloy 4 (OPTIN TM ) and Zircaloy 2 (Zircaloy 2P), as well as advanced Zr based alloys with chemical compositions outside the composition specified for Zircaloy. The advanced alloys are either used as Duplex or as single component claddings. The Duplex claddings have an inner component of Zircaloy and an outer layer of Zr with small additions of alloying elements. ABB has furthermore improved the dimensional stability of the fuel assembly by developing stiffer and more bow resistant guide tubes while debris related fuel failures have been eliminated from ABB fuel by introducing the Guardian TM grid. Intermediate flow mixers that improve the thermal hydraulic performance and the dimensional stability of the fuel has also been developed within ABB. (author)

  6. Parallel GPU implementation of PWR reactor burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heimlich, A.; Silva, F.C.; Martinez, A.S.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Three GPU algorithms used to evaluate the burn-up in a PWR reactor. • Exhibit speed improvement exceeding 200 times over the sequential. • The C++ container is expansible to accept new nuclides chains. - Abstract: This paper surveys three methods, implemented for multi-core CPU and graphic processor unit (GPU), to evaluate the fuel burn-up in a pressurized light water nuclear reactor (PWR) using the solutions of a large system of coupled ordinary differential equations. The reactor physics simulation of a PWR reactor spends a long execution time with burnup calculations, so performance improvement using GPU can imply in better core design and thus extended fuel life cycle. The results of this study exhibit speed improvement exceeding 200 times over the sequential solver, within 1% accuracy.

  7. Analysis of bubble pressure in the rim region of high burnup PWR fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koo, Yang Hyun; Lee, Byung Ho; Sohn, Dong Seong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

    2000-02-01

    Bubble pressure in the rim region of high burnup PWR UO{sub 2} fuel has been modeled based on measured rim width, porosity and bubble density. Using the assumption that excessive bubble pressure in the rim is inversely proportional to its radius, proportionality constant is derived as a function of average pellet burnup and bubble radius. This approach is possible because the integration of the number of Xe atoms retained in the rim bubbles, which can be calculated as a function of bubble radius, over the bubble radius gives the total number of Xe atoms in the rim bubbles. Here the total number of Xe atoms in the rim bubbles can be derived from the measured Xe depletion fraction in the matrix and the calculated rim thickness. Then the rim bubble pressure is obtained as a function of fuel burnup and bubble size from the proportionality constant. Therefore, the present model can provide some useful information that would be required to analyze the behavior of high burnup PWR UO{sub 2} fuel under both normal and transient operating conditions. 28 refs., 9 figs. (Author)

  8. The optimum fuel and power distribution for a PWR burnup cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stillman, J.A.

    1989-01-01

    A method was developed to determine the optimum fuel and power distributions for a PWR burnup cycle. The backward diffusion calculation [1] and the Core-wise Green's Function [2] method were used for the core model which provided analytic derivatives for solving the nonlinear optimization problem using successive linear programming [3] methods. The solution algorithm consisted of a reverse depletion strategy which begins at the end of cycle and solves simultaneously for the optimal fuel and burnable absorber distributions while the core is depleted to the beginning of cycle. The resulting optimal solutions minimize the required fissile fuel inventory and burnable absorber loading for a PWR

  9. Burn-up credit in criticality safety of PWR spent fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahmoud, Rowayda F., E-mail: Rowayda_mahmoud@yahoo.com [Metallurgy Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority (Egypt); Shaat, Mohamed K. [Nuclear Engineering, Reactors Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority (Egypt); Nagy, M.E.; Agamy, S.A. [Professor of Nuclear Engineering, Nuclear and Radiation Department, Alexandria University (Egypt); Abdelrahman, Adel A. [Metallurgy Department, Nuclear Research Center, Atomic Energy Authority (Egypt)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • Designing spent fuel wet storage using WIMS-5D and MCNP-5 code. • Studying fresh and burned fuel with/out absorber like “B{sub 4}C and Ag–In–Cd” in racks. • Sub-criticality was confirmed for fresh and burned fuel under specific cases. • Studies for BU credit recommend increasing fuel burn-up to 60.0 GWD/MTU. • Those studies require new core structure materials, fuel composition and cladding. - Abstract: The criticality safety calculations were performed for a proposed design of a wet spent fuel storage pool. This pool will be used for the storage of spent fuel discharged from a typical pressurized water reactor (PWR). The mathematical model based on the international validated codes, WIMS-5 and MCNP-5 were used for calculating the effective multiplication factor, k{sub eff}, for the spent fuel stored in the pool. The data library for the multi-group neutron microscopic cross-sections was used for the cell calculations. The k{sub eff} was calculated for several changes in water density, water level, assembly pitch and burn-up with different initial fuel enrichment and new types and amounts of fixed absorbers. Also, k{sub eff} was calculated for the conservative fresh fuel case. The results of the calculations confirmed that the effective multiplication factor for the spent fuel storage is sub-critical for all normal and abnormal states. The future strategy for the burn-up credit recommends increasing the fuel burn-up to a value >60.0 GWD/MTU, which requires new fuel composition and new fuel cladding material with the assessment of the effects of negative reactivity build up.

  10. Thermal behaviour of high burnup PWR fuel under different fill gas conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tverberg, T.

    2001-01-01

    During its more than 40 years of existence, a large number of experiments have been carried out at the Halden Reactor Project focusing on different aspects related to nuclear reactor fuel. During recent years, the fuels testing program has mainly been focusing on aspects related to high burnup, in particular in terms of fuel thermal performance and fission gas release, and often involving reinstrumentation of commercially irradiated fuel. The paper describes such an experiment where a PWR rod, previously irradiated in a commercial reactor to a burnup of ∼50 MWd/kgUO 2 , was reinstrumented with a fuel central oxide thermocouple and a cladding extensometer together with a high pressure gas flow line, allowing for different fill gas compositions and pressures to be applied. The paper focuses on the thermal behaviour of such LWR rods with emphasis on how different fill gas conditions influence the fuel temperatures and gap conductance. Rod growth rate was also monitored during the irradiation in the Halden reactor. (author)

  11. ABB high burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, S.; Helmersson, S.; Nilsson, S.; Jourdain, P.; Karlsson, L.; Limback, M.; Garde, A.M.

    1999-01-01

    Fuel designed and fabricated by ABB is now operating in 40 PWRs and BWRs in Europe, the United States and Korea. An excellent fuel reliability track record has been established. High burnups are proven for both PWR and BWR. Thermal margin improving features and advanced burnable absorber concepts enable the utilities to adopt demanding duty cycles to meet new economic objectives. In particular we note the excellent reliability record of ABB PWR fuel equipped with Guardian TM debris filter proven to meet the 6 rod-cycles fuel failure goal, and the out-standing operating record of the SVEA 10 x 10 fuel, where ABB is the only vendor to date with batch experience to high burnup. ABB is dedicated to maintain high fuel reliability as well as continually improve and develop a broad line of PWR and BWR products. ABB's development and fuel follow-up activities are performed in close co-operation with its utility customers. This paper provides an overview of recent fuel performance and reliability experience at ABB. Selected development and validation activities for PWR and BWR fuel are presented, for which the ABB test facilities in Windsor (TF-2 loop, mechanical test laboratory) and Vaesteras (FRIGG, BURE) are essential. (authors)

  12. A PWR Thorium Pin Cell Burnup Benchmark

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weaver, Kevan Dean; Zhao, X.; Pilat, E. E; Hejzlar, P.

    2000-05-01

    As part of work to evaluate the potential benefits of using thorium in LWR fuel, a thorium fueled benchmark comparison was made in this study between state-of-the-art codes, MOCUP (MCNP4B + ORIGEN2), and CASMO-4 for burnup calculations. The MOCUP runs were done individually at MIT and INEEL, using the same model but with some differences in techniques and cross section libraries. Eigenvalue and isotope concentrations were compared on a PWR pin cell model up to high burnup. The eigenvalue comparison as a function of burnup is good: the maximum difference is within 2% and the average absolute difference less than 1%. The isotope concentration comparisons are better than a set of MOX fuel benchmarks and comparable to a set of uranium fuel benchmarks reported in the literature. The actinide and fission product data sources used in the MOCUP burnup calculations for a typical thorium fuel are documented. Reasons for code vs code differences are analyzed and discussed.

  13. Burnup effect on nuclear fuel cycle cost using an equilibrium model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youn, S. R.; Kim, S. K.; Ko, W. I.

    2014-01-01

    The degree of fuel burnup is an important technical parameter to the nuclear fuel cycle, being sensitive and progressive to reduce the total volume of process flow materials and eventually cut the nuclear fuel cycle costs. This paper performed the sensitivity analysis of the total nuclear fuel cycle costs to changes in the technical parameter by varying the degree of burnups in each of the three nuclear fuel cycles using an equilibrium model. Important as burnup does, burnup effect was used among the cost drivers of fuel cycle, as the technical parameter. The fuel cycle options analyzed in this paper are three different fuel cycle options as follows: PWR-Once Through Cycle(PWR-OT), PWR-MOX Recycle, Pyro-SFR Recycle. These fuel cycles are most likely to be adopted in the foreseeable future. As a result of the sensitivity analysis on burnup effect of each three different nuclear fuel cycle costs, PWR-MOX turned out to be the most influenced by burnup changes. Next to PWR-MOX cycle, in the order of Pyro-SFR and PWR-OT cycle turned out to be influenced by the degree of burnup. In conclusion, the degree of burnup in the three nuclear fuel cycles can act as the controlling driver of nuclear fuel cycle costs due to a reduction in the volume of spent fuel leading better availability and capacity factors. However, the equilibrium model used in this paper has a limit that time-dependent material flow and cost calculation is impossible. Hence, comparative analysis of the results calculated by dynamic model hereafter and the calculation results using an equilibrium model should be proceed. Moving forward to the foreseeable future with increasing burnups, further studies regarding alternative material of high corrosion resistance fuel cladding for the overall

  14. Determination of burnup, cooling time and initial enrichment of PWR spent fuel by use of gamma-ray activity ratios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, D.K.; Park, H.J.; Park, K.J.; Ro, S.G.; Park, H.S.

    1999-01-01

    The Korea Atomic Energy Institute has been developing the algorithms for sequential determination of cooling time, initial enrichment and burnup of the PWR spent fuel assembly by use of gamma ratio measurements, i.e. 134 Cs/ 137 Cs, 154 Eu/ 137 Cs and 106 Ru 137 Cs/( 134 Cs) 2 . Calculations were performed by applying the ORIGEN-S code. This method has advantages over combination techniques of neutron and gamma measurement, because of its simplicity and insensitivity to the measurement geometry. For verifying the algorithms an experiment for determining the cooling time, initial enrichment and burnup of the two PWR spent fuel rods was conducted by use of high-resolution gamma detector (HPGe) system only. This paper describes the method used and interim results of the experiment. This method can be applied for spent fuel characterization, burnup credit and safeguards of the spent fuel management facility

  15. Evaluation of burnup credit for accommodating PWR spent nuclear fuel in high-capacity cask designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, John C.

    2003-01-01

    This paper presents an evaluation of the amount of burnup credit needed for high-density casks to transport the current U.S. inventory of commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies. A prototypic 32-assembly cask and the current regulatory guidance were used as bases for this evaluation. By comparing actual pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) discharge data (i.e., fuel burnup and initial enrichment specifications for fuel assemblies discharged from U.S. PWRs) with actinide-only-based loading curves, this evaluation finds that additional negative reactivity (through either increased credit for fuel burnup or cask design/utilization modifications) is necessary to accommodate the majority of SNF assemblies in high-capacity storage and transportation casks. The impact of varying selected calculational assumptions is also investigated, and considerable improvement in effectiveness is shown with the inclusion of the principal fission products (FPs) and minor actinides and the use of a bounding best-estimate approach for isotopic validation. Given sufficient data for validation, the most significant component that would improve accuracy, and subsequently enhance the utilization of burnup credit, is the inclusion of FPs. (author)

  16. Comparison of scale/triton and helios burnup calculations for high burnup LWR fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tittelbach, S.; Mispagel, T.; Phlippen, P.W. [WTI Wissenschaftlich-Technische Ingenieurberatung GmbH, Juelich (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    The presented analyses provide information about the suitability of the lattice burnup code HELIOS and the recently developed code SCALE/TRITON for the prediction of isotopic compositions of high burnup LWR fuel. The accurate prediction of the isotopic inventory of high burnt spent fuel is a prerequisite for safety analyses in and outside of the reactor core, safe loading of spent fuel into storage casks, design of next generation spent fuel casks and for any consideration of burnup credit. Depletion analyses are performed with both burnup codes for PWR and BWR fuel samples which were irradiated far beyond 50 GWd/t within the LWR-PROTEUS Phase II project. (orig.)

  17. Burnup credit feasibility for BWR spent fuel shipments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.

    1990-01-01

    Considerable interest in the allowance of reactivity credit for the exposure history of power reactor fuel currently exists. This ''burnup credit'' issue has the potential to greatly reduce risk and cost when applied to the design and certification of spent of fuel casks used for transportation and storage. Analyses 1 have shown the feasibility estimated the risk and economic incentives for allowing burnup credit in pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel shipping cask applications. This paper summarizes the extension of the previous PWR feasibility assessments to boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel. As with the PWR analysis, the purpose was not verification of burnup credit (see ref. 2 for ongoing work in this area) but a reasonable assessment of the feasibility and potential gains from its use in BWR applications. This feasibility analysis aims to apply simple methods that adequately characterize the time-dependent isotopic compositions of typical BWR fuel. An initial analysis objective was to identify a simple and reliable method for characterizing BWR spent fuel. The method includes characterization of a typical pin-cell spectrum, using a one-dimensional (1-D) model of a BWR assembly. The calculated spectrum allows burnup-dependent few-group material constants to be generated. Point depletion methods were then used to obtain the time-varying characteristics of the fuel. These simple methods were validated, where practical, with multidimensional methods. 6 refs., 1 tab

  18. Plutonium isotopic composition of high burnup spent fuel discharged from light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakano, Yoshihiro; Okubo, Tsutomu

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Pu isotopic composition of fuel affects FBR core nuclear characteristics very much. → Spent fuel compositions of next generation LWRs with burnup of 70 GWd/t were obtained. → Pu isotopic composition and amount in the spent fuel with 70 GWd/t were evaluated. → Spectral shift rods of high burnup BWR increases the fissile Pu fraction of spent fuel. → Wide fuel rod pitch of high burnup PWR lowers the fissile Pu fraction of spent fuel. - Abstract: The isotopic composition and amount of plutonium (Pu) in spent fuel from a high burnup boiling water reactor (HB-BWR) and a high burnup pressurized water reactor (HB-PWR), each with an average discharge burnup of 70 GWd/t, were estimated, in order to evaluate fast breeder reactor (FBR) fuel composition in the transition period from LWRs to FBRs. The HB-BWR employs spectral shift rods and the neutron spectrum is shifted through the operation cycle. The weight fraction of fissile plutonium (Puf) isotopes to the total plutonium in HB-BWR spent fuel after 5 years cooling is 62%, which is larger than that of conventional BWRs with average burnup of 45 GWd/t, because of the spectral shift operation. The amount of Pu produced in the HB-BWR is also larger than that produced in a conventional BWR. The HB-PWR uses a wider pitch 17 x 17 fuel rod assembly to optimize neutron slowing down. The Puf fraction of HB-PWR spent fuel after 5 years cooling is 56%, which is smaller than that of conventional PWRs with average burnup of 49 GWd/t, mainly because of the wider pitch. The amount of Pu produced in the HB-PWR is also smaller than that in conventional PWRs.

  19. ABB advanced BWR and PWR fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Junkrans, S.; Helmersson, S.; Andersson, S.

    1999-01-01

    Fuel designed and fabricated by ABB is now operating in 40 PWRs and BWRs in Europe, the United States and Korea. An excellent fuel reliability track record has been established. High burnups are proven for both BWR and PWR. Thermal margin improving features and advanced burnable absorber concepts enable the utilities to adopt demanding duty cycles to meet new economic objectives. In particular we note the excellent reliability record of ABB PWR fuel equipped with Guardian TM debris filter, proven to meet the -6 rod-cycles fuel failure goal, and the out-standing operating record of the SVEA 10x10 BWR fuel, where ABB is the only vendor to date with multi batch experience to high burnup. ABB is dedicated to maintain high fuel reliability as well as continually improve and develop a broad line of BWR and PWR products. ABB's development and fuel follow-up activities are performed in close co-operation with its customers. (orig.)

  20. Effects of Burnable Absorbers on PWR Spent Nuclear Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Leary, P.M.; Pitts, M.L.

    2000-01-01

    Burnup credit is an ongoing issue in designing and licensing transportation and storage casks for spent nuclear fuel (SNF). To address this issue, in July 1999, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Spent Fuel Project Office, issued Interim Staff Guidance-8 (ISG-8), Revision 1 allowing limited burnup credit for pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) to be used in transport and storage casks. However, one of the key limitations for a licensing basis analysis as stipulated in ISG-8, Revision 1 is that ''burnup credit is restricted to intact fuel assemblies that have not used burnable absorbers''. Because many PWR fuel designs have incorporated burnable-absorber rods for more than twenty years, this restriction places an unnecessary burden on the commercial nuclear power industry. This paper summarizes the effects of in-reactor irradiation on the isotopic inventory of PWR fuels containing different types of integral burnable absorbers (BAs). The work presented is illustrative and intended to represent typical magnitudes of the reactivity effects from depleting PWR fuel with different types of burnable absorbers

  1. Effect of high burn-up and MOX fuel on reprocessing, vitrification and disposal of PWR and BWR spent fuels based on accurate burn-up calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoshikawa, T.; Iwasaki, T.; Wada, K. [Tohoku Univ., Graduate School of Engineering, Dept. of Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Suyama, K. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata-Shirane 2-4, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken 319-1195 (Japan)

    2006-07-01

    To examine the procedures of the reprocessing, the vitrification and the geologic disposal, precise burn-up calculation for high burn-up and MOX fuels has been performed for not only PWR but also BWR by using SWAT and SWAT2 codes which are the integrated bum-up calculation code systems combined with the bum-up calculation code, ORIGEN2, and the transport calculation code, SRAC (the collision probability method) or MVP (the continuous energy Monte Carlo method), respectively. The calculation results shows that all of the evaluated items (heat generation and concentrations of Mo and Pt) largely increase and those significantly effect to the current procedures of the vitrification and the geologic disposal. The calculation result by SWAT2 confirms that the bundle calculation is required for BWR to be discussed about those effects in details, especially for the MOX fuel. (authors)

  2. PWR and WWER fuel performance. A comparison of major characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weidinger, H.

    2006-01-01

    PWR and WWER fuel technologies have the same basic performance targets: most effective use of the energy stored in the fuel and highest possible reliability. Both fuel technologies use basically the same strategies to reach these targets: 1) Optimized reload strategies; 2) Maximal use of structural material with low neutron cross sections; 3) Decrease the fuel failure frequency towards a 'zero failure' performance by understanding and eliminating the root causes of those defects. The key driving force of the technology of both, PWR and WWER fuel is high burn-up. Presently a range of 45 - 50 MWD/kgU have been reached commercially for PWR and WWER fuel. The main technical limitations to reach high burn-up are typically different for PWR and WWER fuel: for PWR fuel it is the corrosion and hydrogen uptake of the Zr-based materials; for WWER fuel it is the mechanical and dimensional stability of the FA (and the whole core). Corrosion and hydrogen uptake of Zr-materials is a 'non-problem' for WWER fuel. Other performance criteria that are important for high burn-up are the creep and growth behaviour of the Zr materials and the fission gas release in the fuel rod. There exists a good and broad data base to model and design both fuel types. FA and fuel rod vibration appears to be a generic problem for both fuel types but with more evidence for PWR fuel performance reliability. Grid-to-rod fretting is still a major issue in the fuel failure statistics of PWR fuel. Fuel rod cladding defects by debris fretting is no longer a key problem for PWR fuel, while it still appears to be a significant root cause for WWER fuel failures. 'Zero defect' fuel performance is achievable with a high probability, as statistics for US PWR and WWER-1000 fuel has shown

  3. Alloy development for high burnup cladding (PWR)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahn, R. [Kraftwerk Union AG, Mulheim (Germany); Jeong, Y.H.; Baek, K.H.; Kim, S.J.; Choi, B.K.; Kim, J.M. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1999-04-01

    An overview on current alloy development for high burnup PWR fuel cladding is given. It is mainly based on literature data. First, the reasons for an increase of the current mean discharge burnup from 35 MWd / kg(U) to 70 MWd / kg(U) are outlined. From the material data, it is shown that a batch average burnup of 60-70 MWd / kg(U), as aimed by many fuel vendors, can not be achieved with stand (=ASTM-) Zry-4 cladding tubes without violating accepted design criteria. Specifically criteria which limit maximum oxide scale thickness and maximum hydrogen content, and to a less degree, maximum creep and growth rate, can not be achieved. The development potential of standard Zry-4 is shown. Even when taking advantage of this potential, it is shown that an 'improved' Zry-4 is reaching its limits when it achieves the target burnup. The behavior of some Zr alloys outside the ASTM range is shown, and the advantages and disadvantages of the 3 alloy groups (ZrSn+transition metals, ZrNb, ZrSnNb+transition metals) which are currently considered to have the development potential for high burnup cladding materials are depicted. Finally, conclusions are drawn. (author). 14 refs., 11 tabs., 82 figs.

  4. PWR-to-PWR fuel cycle model using dry process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, M.; Jeong, Chang Joon; Rho, Gyu Hong

    2002-03-01

    PWR-to-PWR fuel cycle model has been developed to recycle the spent fuel using the dry fabrication process. Two types of fuels were considered; first fuel was based on low initial enrichment with low discharge burnup and second one was based on more initial enrichment with high discharge burnup in PWR. For recycling calculations, the HELIOS code was used, in which all of the available fission products were considered. The decay of 10 years was applied for reuse of the spent fuel. Sensitivity analysis for the fresh feed material enrichment has also been carried out. If enrichment of the mixing material is increased the saving of uranium reserves would be decreased. The uranium saving of low burned fuel increased from 4.2% to 7.4% in fifth recycling step for 5 wt% to 19.00wt% mixing material enrichment. While for high burned fuel, there was no uranium saving, which implies that higher uranium enrichment required than 5 wt%. For mixing of 15 wt% enriched fuel, the required mixing is about 21.0% and 37.0% of total fuel volume for low and high burned fuel, respectively. With multiple recycling, reductions in waste for low and high burned fuel became 80% and 60%, for first recycling, respectively. In this way, waste can be reduced more and the cost of the waste disposal reduction can provide the economic balance

  5. Development of high burnup nuclear fuel technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suk, Ho Chun; Kang, Young Hwan; Jung, Jin Gone; Hwang, Won; Park, Zoo Hwan; Ryu, Woo Seog; Kim, Bong Goo; Kim, Il Gone

    1987-04-01

    The objectives of the project are mainly to develope both design and manufacturing technologies for 600 MWe-CANDU-PHWR-type high burnup nuclear fuel, and secondly to build up the foundation of PWR high burnup nuclear fuel technology on the basis of KAERI technology localized upon the standard 600 MWe-CANDU- PHWR nuclear fuel. So, as in the first stage, the goal of the program in the last one year was set up mainly to establish the concept of the nuclear fuel pellet design and manufacturing. The economic incentives for high burnup nuclear fuel technology development are improvement of fuel utilization, backend costs plant operation, etc. Forming the most important incentives of fuel cycle costs reduction and improvement of power operation, etc., the development of high burnup nuclear fuel technology and also the research on the incore fuel management and safety and technologies are necessary in this country

  6. Comparative study on plutonium and MA recycling in equilibrium burnup and standard burnup of PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waris, Abdul; Kurniadi, Rizal; Su'ud, Zaki; Permana, Sidik

    2005-01-01

    The equilibrium burnup model is a powerful method since its can handle all possible generated nuclides in any nuclear system. Moreover, this method is a simple time independent method. Hence the equilibrium burnup method could be very useful for evaluating and forecasting the characteristics of any nuclear fuel cycle, even the strange one, e.g. all nuclides are confined in the reactor. However, this method needs to be verified since the method is not a standard tool. The present study aimed to compare the characteristics of plutonium recycling and plutonium and minor actinides (MA) recycling in PWR with the equilibrium burnup and the standard burnup. In order to become more comprehensive study, an influence of moderator-to-fuel volume ratio (MFR) changes by changing the pin-pitch of fuel cell has been evaluated. The MFR ranges from 0.5 to 4.0. For the equilibrium burnup we used equilibrium cell-burnup code. We have employed 1368 nuclides in the equilibrium calculation with 129 of them are heavy metals (HMs). For standard burnup, SRAC2002 code has been utilized with 26 HMs and 66 fission products (FPs). The JENDL 3.2 library has been employed for both burnup schemes. The uranium, plutonium and MA vector, which resulted from the equilibrium burnup are directly used as fuel input composition for the standard burnup calculation. Both burnup results demonstrate that plutonium recycling and plutonium and MA recycling can be conducted safer in tight lattice core. They are also show the similar trend in neutron spectrum, which become harder with the increasing number of recycled heavy nuclides as well as the decreasing of the MFR values. However, there are some discrepancy on the effective multiplication factor and the conversion ratio, especially for the reactor core for MFR ≥ 2.0. (author)

  7. The Gd-isotopic fuel for high burnup in PWR's

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Marcio Soares; Mattos, João Roberto L. de; Andrade, Edison Pereira de

    2017-01-01

    Today, the discussion about the high burnup fuel is beyond the current fuel enrichment licensing and burnup limits. Licensing issues and material/design developments are again key features in further development of the LWR fuel design. Nevertheless, technological and economical solutions are already available or will be available in a short time. In order to prevent the growth of the technological gap, Brazil's nuclear sector needs to invest in the training of new human resources, in the access to international databases, and in the upgrading existing infrastructure. Experimental database and R&D infrastructure are essential components to support the autonomous development of Brazilian Nuclear Reactors, promoting the development of national technologies. The (U,Gd)O_2 isotopic fuel proposed by the CDTN's staff solve two main issues in the high burnup fuel, which are (1) the peak of reactivity resulting from the Gd-157 fast burnup, and (2) the peak of temperature in the (U,Gd)O_2 nuclear fuel resulting from detrimental effects in the thermal properties for gadolinia additions higher than 2%. A sustainable future can be envisaged for the nuclear energy. (author)

  8. Reactivity and isotopic composition of spent PWR [pressurized-water-reactor] fuel as a function of initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cerne, S.P.; Hermann, O.W.; Westfall, R.M.

    1987-10-01

    This study presents the reactivity loss of spent PWR fuel due to burnup in terms of the infinite lattice multiplications factor, k/sub ∞/. Calculations were performed using the SAS2 and CSAS1 control modules of the SCALE system. The k/sub ∞/ values calculated for all combinations of six enrichments, seven burnups, and five cooling times. The results are presented as a primary function of enrichment in both tabular and graphic form. An equation has been developed to estimate the tabulated values of k/sub ∞/'s by specifying enrichment, cooling time, and burnup. Atom densities for fresh fuel, and spent fuel at cooling times of 2, 10, and 20 years are included. 13 refs., 8 figs., 8 tabs

  9. Analysis of high burnup fuel safety issues

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Chan Bock; Kim, D. H.; Bang, J. G.; Kim, Y. M.; Yang, Y. S.; Jung, Y. H.; Jeong, Y. H.; Nam, C.; Baik, J. H.; Song, K. W.; Kim, K. S

    2000-12-01

    Safety issues in steady state and transient behavior of high burnup LWR fuel above 50 - 60 MWD/kgU were analyzed. Effects of burnup extension upon fuel performance parameters was reviewed, and validity of both the fuel safety criteria and the performance analysis models which were based upon the lower burnup fuel test results was analyzed. It was found that further tests would be necessary in such areas as fuel failure and dispersion for RIA, and high temperature cladding corrosion and mechanical deformation for LOCA. Since domestic fuels have been irradiated in PWR up to burnup higher than 55 MWD/kgU-rod. avg., it can be said that Korea is in the same situation as the other countries in the high burnup fuel safety issues. Therefore, necessary research areas to be performed in Korea were derived. Considering that post-irradiation examination(PIE) for the domestic fuel of burnup higher than 30 MWD/kgU has not been done so far at all, it is primarily necessary to perform PIE for high burnup fuel, and then simulation tests for RIA and LOCA could be performed by using high burnup fuel specimens. For the areas which can not be performed in Korea, international cooperation will be helpful to obtain the test results. With those data base, safety of high burnup domestic fuels will be confirmed, current fuel safety criteria will be re-evaluated, and finally transient high burnup fuel behavior analysis technology will be developed through the fuel performance analysis code development.

  10. Analysis of high burnup fuel safety issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Chan Bock; Kim, D. H.; Bang, J. G.; Kim, Y. M.; Yang, Y. S.; Jung, Y. H.; Jeong, Y. H.; Nam, C.; Baik, J. H.; Song, K. W.; Kim, K. S

    2000-12-01

    Safety issues in steady state and transient behavior of high burnup LWR fuel above 50 - 60 MWD/kgU were analyzed. Effects of burnup extension upon fuel performance parameters was reviewed, and validity of both the fuel safety criteria and the performance analysis models which were based upon the lower burnup fuel test results was analyzed. It was found that further tests would be necessary in such areas as fuel failure and dispersion for RIA, and high temperature cladding corrosion and mechanical deformation for LOCA. Since domestic fuels have been irradiated in PWR up to burnup higher than 55 MWD/kgU-rod. avg., it can be said that Korea is in the same situation as the other countries in the high burnup fuel safety issues. Therefore, necessary research areas to be performed in Korea were derived. Considering that post-irradiation examination(PIE) for the domestic fuel of burnup higher than 30 MWD/kgU has not been done so far at all, it is primarily necessary to perform PIE for high burnup fuel, and then simulation tests for RIA and LOCA could be performed by using high burnup fuel specimens. For the areas which can not be performed in Korea, international cooperation will be helpful to obtain the test results. With those data base, safety of high burnup domestic fuels will be confirmed, current fuel safety criteria will be re-evaluated, and finally transient high burnup fuel behavior analysis technology will be developed through the fuel performance analysis code development

  11. Pushing back the boundaries of PWR fuel performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sofer, G.A.; Skogen, F.B.; Brown, C.A.; Fresk, Y.U.

    1985-01-01

    In today's fiercely competitive PWR reload market utilities are benefiting from a variety of design innovations which are helping to cut fuel cycle costs and to improve fuel performance. An advanced PWR fuel design from Exxon, for example, currently under evaluation at the Ginna plant in the United States, offers higher burn-up and greater power cycling. (author)

  12. Reactivity loss validation of high burn-up PWR fuels with pile-oscillation experiments in MINERVE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leconte, P.; Vaglio-Gaudard, C.; Eschbach, R.; Di-Salvo, J.; Antony, M.; Pepino, A. [CEA, DEN, DER, Cadarache, F-13108 Saint-Paul-Lez-Durance (France)

    2012-07-01

    The ALIX experimental program relies on the experimental validation of the spent fuel inventory, by chemical analysis of samples irradiated in a PWR between 5 and 7 cycles, and also on the experimental validation of the spent fuel reactivity loss with bum-up, obtained by pile-oscillation measurements in the MINERVE reactor. These latter experiments provide an overall validation of both the fuel inventory and of the nuclear data responsible for the reactivity loss. This program offers also unique experimental data for fuels with a burn-up reaching 85 GWd/t, as spent fuels in French PWRs never exceeds 70 GWd/t up to now. The analysis of these experiments is done in two steps with the APOLLO2/SHEM-MOC/CEA2005v4 package. In the first one, the fuel inventory of each sample is obtained by assembly calculations. The calculation route consists in the self-shielding of cross sections on the 281 energy group SHEM mesh, followed by the flux calculation by the Method Of Characteristics in a 2D-exact heterogeneous geometry of the assembly, and finally a depletion calculation by an iterative resolution of the Bateman equations. In the second step, the fuel inventory is used in the analysis of pile-oscillation experiments in which the reactivity of the ALIX spent fuel samples is compared to the reactivity of fresh fuel samples. The comparison between Experiment and Calculation shows satisfactory results with the JEFF3.1.1 library which predicts the reactivity loss within 2% for burn-up of {approx}75 GWd/t and within 4% for burn-up of {approx}85 GWd/t. (authors)

  13. TOPICAL REPORT ON ACTINIDE-ONLY BURNUP CREDIT FOR PWR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL PACKAGES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DOE

    1997-01-01

    A methodology for performing and applying nuclear criticality safety calculations, for PWR spent nuclear fuel (SNF) packages with actinide-only burnup credit, is described. The changes in the U-234, U-235, U-236, U-238, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, Pu-242, and Am-241 concentration with burnup are used in burnup credit criticality analyses. No credit for fission product neutron absorbers is taken. The methodology consists of five major steps. (1) Validate a computer code system to calculate isotopic concentrations of SNF created during burnup in the reactor core and subsequent decay. A set of chemical assay benchmarks is presented for this purpose as well as a method for assessing the calculational bias and uncertainty, and conservative correction factors for each isotope. (2) Validate a computer code system to predict the subcritical multiplication factor, k eff , of a spent nuclear fuel package. Fifty-seven UO 2 , UO 2 /Gd 2 O 3 , and UO 2 /PuO 2 critical experiments have been selected to cover anticipated conditions of SNF. The method uses an upper safety limit on k eff (which can be a function of the trending parameters) such that the biased k eff , when increased for the uncertainty is less than 0.95. (3) Establish bounding conditions for the isotopic concentration and criticality calculations. Three bounding axial profiles have been established to assure the ''end effect'' is accounted for conservatively. (4) Use the validated codes and bounding conditions to generate package loading criteria (burnup credit loading curves). Burnup credit loading curves show the minimum burnup required for a given initial enrichment. The utility burnup record is compared to this requirement after the utility accounts for the uncertainty in its record. Separate curves may be generated for each assembly design, various minimum cooling times and burnable absorber histories. (5) Verify that SNF assemblies meet the package loading criteria and confirm proper assembly selection

  14. Design of a PWR for long cycle and direct recycling of spent fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohamed, Nader M.A., E-mail: mnader73@yahoo.com

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • Single-batch loading PWR with a new fuel assembly for 36 calendar months cycle was designed. • The new fuel assembly is constructed from a number of CANDU fuel bundles. • This design enables to recycle the spent fuel directly in CANDU reactors for high burnup. • Around 56 MWd/kgU burnup is achieved from fuel that has average enrichment of 4.8 w/o U-235 using this strategy. • Safety parameters such as the power distribution and CANDU coolant void reactivity were considered. - Abstract: In a previous work, a new design was proposed for the Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assembly for direct use of the PWR spent fuel without processing. The proposed assembly has four zircaloy-4 tubes contains a number of 61-element CANDU fuel bundles (8 bundles per tube) stacked end to end. The space between the tubes contains 44 lower enriched UO{sub 2} fuel rods and 12 guide tubes. In this paper, this assembly is used to build a single batch loading 36-month PWR and the spent CANDU bundles are recycled in the on power refueling CANDU reactors. The Advanced PWR (APWR) is considered as a reference design. The average enrichment in the core is 4.76%w U-235. IFBA and Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} as burnable poisons are used for controlling the excess reactivity and to flatten the power distribution. The calculations using MCNPX showed that the PWR will discharge the fuel with average burnup of 31.8 MWd/kgU after 1000 effective full power days. Assuming a 95 days plant outage, 36 calendar months can be achieved with a capacity factor of 91.3%. Good power distribution in the core is obtained during the cycle and the required critical boron concentration is less than 1750 ppm. Recycling of the discharged CANDU fuel bundles that represents 85% of the fuel in the assembly, in CANDU-6 or in 700 MWe Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR-700), an additional burnup of about 31 or 26 MWd/kgU burnup can be achieved, respectively. Averaging the fuel burnup on the all fuel in the PWR

  15. Analysis of reactivity worths of highly-burnt PWR fuel samples measured in LWR-PROTEUS Phase II

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grimm, Peter; Murphy, Michael F.; Jatuff, Fabian; Seiler, Rudolf [Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

    2008-07-01

    The reactivity loss of PWR fuel with burnup has been determined experimentally by inserting fresh and highly-burnt fuel samples in a PWR test lattice in the framework of the LWR-PROTEUS Phase II programme. Seven UO{sub 2} samples irradiated in a Swiss PWR plant with burnups ranging from approx40 to approx120 MWd/kg and four MOX samples with burnups up to approx70 MWd/kg were oscillated in a test region constituted of actual PWR UO{sub 2} fuel rods in the centre of the PROTEUS zero-power experimental facility. The measurements were analyzed using the CASMO-4E fuel assembly code and a cross section library based on the ENDF/B-VI evaluation. The results show close proximity between calculated and measured reactivity effects and no trend for a deterioration of the quality of the prediction at high burnup. The analysis thus demonstrates the high accuracy of the calculation of the reactivity of highly-burnt fuel. (authors)

  16. Full MOX high burn-up PWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okubo, Tsutomu; Kugo, Teruhiko; Shimada, Shoichiro; Araya, Fumimasa; Ochiai, Masaaki [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1999-12-01

    As a part of conceptual investigation on advanced light water reactors for the future, a light water reactor with the high burn-up of 100 GWd/t, the long cycle operation of 3 years and the full MOX core is being studied, aiming at the improvement on economical aspects, the reduction of the spent fuel production, the utilization of Plutonium and so forth. The present report summarizes investigation on PWR-type reactors. The core with the increased moderation of the moderator-to-fuel volume ratio of 2.6 {approx} 3.0 has been proposed be such a core that accomplishes requirements mentioned above. Through the neutronic and the thermo-hydrodynamic evaluation, the performances of the core have been evaluated. Also, the safety designing is underway considering the reactor system with the passive safety features. (author)

  17. Advancing PWR fuel to meet customer needs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramer, F W

    1987-03-01

    Since the introduction of the Optimized Fuel Assembly (OFA) for PWRs in the late 1970s, Westinghouse has continued to work with the utility customers to identify the greatest needs for further advance in fuel performance and reliability. The major customer requirements include longer fuel cycle at lower costs, increased fuel discharge burn-up, enhanced operating flexibility, all accompanied by even greater reliability. In response to these needs, Westinghouse developed Vantage 5 PWR fuel. To optimize reactor operations, Vantage 5 fuel features distinct advantages: integral fuel burnable absorbers, axial and radial blankets, intermediate flow mixers, a removable top nozzle, and assembly modifications to accommodate increased discharge burn-up.

  18. Burnup credit activities being conducted in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lake, W.

    1998-01-01

    The paper describes burnup credit activities being conducted in the U.S. where burnup credit is either being used or being planned to be used for storage, transport, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Currently approved uses of burnup credit are for wet storage of PWR fuel. For dry storage of spent PWR fuel, burnup credit is used to supplement a principle of moderator exclusion. These storage applications have been pursued by the private sector. The Department of Energy (DOE) which is an organization of the U.S. Federal government is seeking approval for burnup credit for transport and disposal applications. For transport of spent fuel, regulatory review of an actinide-only PWR burnup credit method is now being conducted. A request by DOE for regulatory review of actinide and fission product burnup credit for disposal of spent BWR and PWR fuel is scheduled to occur in 1998. (author)

  19. The Gd-isotopic fuel for high burnup in PWR's

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dias, Marcio Soares; Mattos, João Roberto L. de; Andrade, Edison Pereira de, E-mail: marciod@cdtn.br, E-mail: jrmattos@cdtn.br, E-mail: epa@cdtn.br [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    Today, the discussion about the high burnup fuel is beyond the current fuel enrichment licensing and burnup limits. Licensing issues and material/design developments are again key features in further development of the LWR fuel design. Nevertheless, technological and economical solutions are already available or will be available in a short time. In order to prevent the growth of the technological gap, Brazil's nuclear sector needs to invest in the training of new human resources, in the access to international databases, and in the upgrading existing infrastructure. Experimental database and R&D infrastructure are essential components to support the autonomous development of Brazilian Nuclear Reactors, promoting the development of national technologies. The (U,Gd)O{sub 2} isotopic fuel proposed by the CDTN's staff solve two main issues in the high burnup fuel, which are (1) the peak of reactivity resulting from the Gd-157 fast burnup, and (2) the peak of temperature in the (U,Gd)O{sub 2} nuclear fuel resulting from detrimental effects in the thermal properties for gadolinia additions higher than 2%. A sustainable future can be envisaged for the nuclear energy. (author)

  20. The research on burnup characteristic of doping burnable poison in PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiang Shenglong; Qin Dong; Chai Xiaoming; Yao Dong

    2014-01-01

    In PWR core design, burnable poisons are usually used for reactive compensation and power flatten. The choice of burnable poisons and how to match burnup would be the key-points for a long-life core design. We study the burnup character of doping burnable poisons (such as natural element, manual nuclide and soluble boron) in the PWR by the core burnup code MOI based on Monte Carlo method. The results show that Hf, Er and Eu doping burnable poison would be applicable for the nuclear design research on the long-life PWR core. (authors)

  1. ZZ PWR-AXBUPRO-GKN, Measured Axial Burnup Profiles, NPP Neckarewstheim

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuber, Jens-Christian; Lamprecht, Thomas

    1999-01-01

    Description or function: PWR-AXBUPRO-GKN12 contains Axial Burnup Shapes released by Siemens AG Power Generation Group. It contains data sets relative to following NPP and initial enrichment: - NPP Neckarwestheim 1, Fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 3.5 wt.-% 235-U; - NPP Neckarwestheim 2, Fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 3.5 wt.-% 235-U; - NPP Neckarwestheim 2, Fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 3.8 wt.-% 235-U; - NPP Neckarwestheim 2, Fuel assemblies with an initial enrichment of 4.0 wt.-% 235-U. In each of these files the axial shapes are listed one after the other. Each shape is characterised by: - the number of the cycle; - the number of the fuel assembly. - axial burnup shape characteristics: - height (in centimeter) of the nodes with respect to the active length of the fuel assemblies normalized to the cold, unirradiated state. - the nodal burnup (in MWd/kg U). - fuel assembly design data as well as core geometry and operating data pertinent to depletion calculations: NPP Neckarwestheim 1 (GKN1) - (square pitch lattice 15X15 - thermal Power 2497 MW)thermal Power 2497 MW); More than 700 EOC axial shapes from cycle 18 up. From cycle 18 to cycle 20 a change from an Out-In-Loading to an In-Out-Loading has taken place. Fuel assemblies up to number 1093 have spacer grids made of Inconel, whereas all the fuel assemblies from number 1094 up have spacer grids made of Zircaloy. Discharge burnups range from: 9.7 to 52.8 MWd/kg. NPP Neckarwestheim 2 (GKN2) - (square pitch lattice 18X18 - thermal Power 3850 MW) more than 500 EOC axial shapes from cycle 5 up: - More than 170 shapes for an initial fuel enrichment of 3.5 wt.-% 235-U, discharge burnup ranges from 16.3 to 44.4 MWd/kg; - more than 170 shapes for an initial fuel enrichment of 3.8 wt.-% 235-U, discharge burnup ranges from 14.0 to 52.8 MWd/kg; - more than 180 shapes for an initial fuel enrichment of 4.0 wt.-% 235-U. discharge burnup ranges from 15.5 to 48.9 MWd/kg. PWR AXBUPRO

  2. Topical report on actinide-only burnup credit for PWR spent nuclear fuel packages. Revision 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None, None

    1997-04-01

    A methodology for performing and applying nuclear criticality safety calculations, for PWR spent nuclear fuel (SNF) packages with actinide-only burnup credit, is described. The changes in the U-234, U-235, U-236, U-238, Pu-238, Pu-239, Pu-240, Pu-241, Pu-242, and Am-241 concentration with burnup are used in burnup credit criticality analyses. No credit for fission product neutron absorbers is taken. The methodology consists of five major steps. (1) Validate a computer code system to calculate isotopic concentrations of SNF created during burnup in the reactor core and subsequent decay. A set of chemical assay benchmarks is presented for this purpose as well as a method for assessing the calculational bias and uncertainty, and conservative correction factors for each isotope. (2) Validate a computer code system to predict the subcritical multiplication factor, k{sub eff}, of a spent nuclear fuel package. Fifty-seven UO{sub 2}, UO{sub 2}/Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and UO{sub 2}/PuO{sub 2} critical experiments have been selected to cover anticipated conditions of SNF. The method uses an upper safety limit on k{sub eff} (which can be a function of the trending parameters) such that the biased k{sub eff}, when increased for the uncertainty is less than 0.95. (3) Establish bounding conditions for the isotopic concentration and criticality calculations. Three bounding axial profiles have been established to assure the ''end effect'' is accounted for conservatively. (4) Use the validated codes and bounding conditions to generate package loading criteria (burnup credit loading curves). Burnup credit loading curves show the minimum burnup required for a given initial enrichment. The utility burnup record is compared to this requirement after the utility accounts for the uncertainty in its record. Separate curves may be generated for each assembly design, various minimum cooling times and burnable absorber histories. (5) Verify that SNF assemblies meet the package

  3. Modeling of PWR fuel at extended burnup; Estudo de modelos para o comportamento a altas queimas de varetas combustiveis de reatores a agua leve pressurizada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dias, Raphael Mejias

    2016-11-01

    This work studies the modifications implemented over successive versions in the empirical models of the computer program FRAPCON used to simulate the steady state irradiation performance of Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel rods under high burnup condition. In the study, the empirical models present in FRAPCON official documentation were analyzed. A literature study was conducted on the effects of high burnup in nuclear fuels and to improve the understanding of the models used by FRAPCON program in these conditions. A steady state fuel performance analysis was conducted for a typical PWR fuel rod using FRAPCON program versions 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5. The results presented by the different versions of the program were compared in order to verify the impact of model changes in the output parameters of the program. It was observed that the changes brought significant differences in the results of the fuel rod thermal and mechanical parameters, especially when they evolved from FRAPCON-3.3 version to FRAPCON-3.5 version. Lower temperatures, lower cladding stress and strain, lower cladding oxide layer thickness were obtained in the fuel rod analyzed with the FRAPCON-3.5 version. (author)

  4. Fission gas release from fuels at high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kauffmann, Yves; Pointud, M.L.; Vignesoult, Nicole; Atabek, Rosemarie; Baron, Daniel.

    1982-04-01

    Determinations of residual gas concentrations by heating and by X microanalysis were respectively carried out on particles (TANGO program) and on sections of fuel rods, perfectly characterized as to fabrication and irradiation history. A threshold release temperature of 1250 0 C+-100 0 C was determined irrespective of the type of oxide and the irradiation history in the 18,000-45,000 MWdt -1 (U) specific burnup field. The overall analyses of gas released from the fuel rods show that, in the PWR operating conditions, the fraction released remains less than 1% up to a mean specific burnup of 35000 MWdt -1 (U). The release of gases should not be a limiting factor in the increase of specific burnups [fr

  5. Burnup Credit of French PWR-MOx fuels: methodology and associated conservatisms with the JEFF-3.1.1 evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chambon, A.

    2013-01-01

    Considering spent fuel management (storage, transport and reprocessing), the approach using 'fresh fuel assumption' in criticality-safety studies results in a significant conservatism in the calculated value of the system reactivity. The concept of Burnup Credit (BUC) consists in considering the reduction of the spent fuel reactivity due to its burnup. A careful BUC methodology, developed by CEA in association with AREVA-NC was recently validated and written up for PWR-UOx fuels. However, 22 of 58 French reactors use MOx fuel, so more and more irradiated MOx fuels have to be stored and transported. As a result, why industrial partners are interested in this concept is because taking into account this BUC concept would enable for example a load increase in several fuel cycle devices. Recent publications and discussions within the French BUC Working Group highlight the current interest of the BUC concept in PWR-MOx spent fuel industrial applications. In this case of PWR-MOx fuel, studies show in particular that the 15 FPs selected thanks to their properties (absorbing, stable, non-gaseous) are responsible for more than a half of the total reactivity credit and 80% of the FPs credit. That is why, in order to get a conservative and physically realistic value of the application k eff and meet the Upper Safety Limit constraint, calculation biases on these 15 FPs inventory and individual reactivity worth should be considered in a criticality-safety approach. In this context, thanks to an exhaustive literature study, PWR-MOx fuels particularities have been identified and by following a rigorous approach, a validated and physically representative BUC methodology, adapted to this type of fuel has been proposed, allowing to take fission products into account and to determine the biases related to considered isotopes inventory and to reactivity worth. This approach consists of the following studies: - isotopic correction factors determination to guarantee the criticality

  6. A Critical Review of Practice of Equating the Reactivity of Spent Fuel to Fresh Fuel in Burnup Credit Criticality Safety Analyses for PWR Spent Fuel Pool Storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, J.C.; Parks, C.V.

    2000-01-01

    This research examines the practice of equating the reactivity of spent fuel to that of fresh fuel for the purpose of performing burnup credit criticality safety analyses for PWR spent fuel pool (SFP) storage conditions. The investigation consists of comparing k inf estimates based on reactivity equivalent fresh fuel enrichment (REFFE) to k inf estimates using the actual spent fuel isotopics. Analyses of selected storage configurations common in PWR SFPs show that this practice yields nonconservative results (on the order of a few tenths of a percent) in configurations in which the spent fuel is adjacent to higher-reactivity assemblies (e.g., fresh or lower-burned assemblies) and yields conservative results in configurations in which spent fuel is adjacent to lower-reactivity assemblies (e.g., higher-burned fuel or empty cells). When the REFFE is determined based on unborated water moderation, analyses for storage conditions with soluble boron present reveal significant nonconservative results associated with the use of the REFFE. This observation is considered to be important, especially considering the recent allowance of credit for soluble boron up to 5% in reactivity. Finally, it is shown that the practice of equating the reactivity of spent fuel to fresh fuel is acceptable, provided the conditions for which the REFFE was determined remain unchanged. Determination of the REFFE for a reference configuration and subsequent use of the REFFE for different configurations violates the basis used for the determination of the REFFE and, thus, may lead to inaccurate, and possibly, nonconservative estimates of reactivity. A significant concentration (approx. 2000 ppm) of soluble boron is typically (but not necessarily required to be) present in PWR SFPs, of which only a portion (le 500 ppm) may be credited in safety analyses. Thus, a large subcritical margin currently exists that more than accounts for errors or uncertainties associated with the use of the REFFE

  7. Parametric studies of the effect of MOx environment and control rods for PWR-UOx burnup credit implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barreau, Anne; Roque, Benedicte; Marimbeau, Pierre; Venard, Christophe; Bioux, Philippe; Toubon, Herve

    2003-01-01

    The increase of PWR-UOX fuel initial enrichment and the extensive needs for spent fuel storage or cask capacities reinforce the interest in taking burnup credit into account in criticality calculations. However, this utilization of credit for fuel burnup requires the definition of a methodology that ensures the conservatism of calculations. In order to guarantee the conservatism of the spent fuel inventory calculation, a depletion calculation scheme for burnup credit is under development. This paper presents the studies on the main parameters which have an effect on nuclides concentration: the presence of control rods during depletion and the fuel assembly environment, particularly the presence of MOx fuels around the UO 2 assembly. Reactivity effects which are relevant to these parameters are then presented, and physics phenomena are identified. (author)

  8. PWR fuel performance and future trend in Japan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kondo, Y.

    1987-01-01

    Since the first PWR power plant Mihama Unit 1 initiated its commercial operation in 1970, Japanese utilities and manufacturers have expended much of their resources and efforts to improve PWR technology. The results are already seen in significantly improved performance of 16 PWR plants now in operation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) has been supplying them with nuclear fuel assemblies, which are over 5700. As the reliability of the current design fuel has been achieved, the direction of R and D on nuclear fuel has changed to make nuclear power more competitive to the other power generation methods. The most important R and D targets are the burnup extension, Gd contained fuel, Pu utilizatoin and the load follow capacility. (author)

  9. Analyses of PWR spent fuel composition using SCALE and SWAT code systems to find correction factors for criticality safety applications adopting burnup credit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hee Sung; Suyama, Kenya; Mochizuki, Hiroki; Okuno, Hiroshi; Nomura, Yasushi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2001-01-01

    The isotopic composition calculations were performed for 26 spent fuel samples from the Obrigheim PWR reactor and 55 spent fuel samples from 7 PWR reactors using the SAS2H module of the SCALE4.4 code system with 27, 44 and 238 group cross-section libraries and the SWAT code system with the 107 group cross-section library. For the analyses of samples from the Obrigheim PWR reactor, geometrical models were constructed for each of SCALE4.4/SAS2H and SWAT. For the analyses of samples from 7 PWR reactors, the geometrical model already adopted in the SCALE/SAS2H was directly converted to the model of SWAT. The four kinds of calculation results were compared with the measured data. For convenience, the ratio of the measured to calculated values was used as a parameter. When the ratio is less than unity, the calculation overestimates the measurement, and the ratio becomes closer to unity, they have a better agreement. For many important nuclides for burnup credit criticality safety evaluation, the four methods applied in this study showed good coincidence with measurements in general. More precise observations showed, however: (1) Less unity ratios were found for Pu-239 and -241 for selected 16 samples out of the 26 samples from the Obrigheim reactor (10 samples were deselected because their burnups were measured with Cs-137 non-destructive method, less reliable than Nd-148 method the rest 16 samples were measured with); (2) Larger than unity ratios were found for Am-241 and Cm-242 for both the 16 and 55 samples; (3) Larger than unity ratios were found for Sm-149 for the 55 samples; (4) SWAT was generally accompanied by larger ratios than those of SAS2H with some exceptions. Based on the measured-to-calculated ratios for 71 samples of a combined set in which 16 selected samples and 55 samples were included, the correction factors that should be multiplied to the calculated isotopic compositions were generated for a conservative estimate of the neutron multiplication factor

  10. Ciclon: A neutronic fuel management program for PWR's consecutive cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aragones, J.M.

    1977-01-01

    The program description and user's manual of a new computer code is given. Ciclon performs the neutronic calculation of consecutive reload cycles for PWR's fuel management optimization. Fuel characteristics and burnup data, region or batch sizes, loading schemes and state of previously irradiated fuel are input to the code. Cycle lengths or feed enrichments and burnup sharing for each region or batch are calculate using different core neutronic models and printed or punched in standard fuel management format. (author) [es

  11. A PWR PCI failure criterion to burnups of 60 GW·d/t using the ENIGMA code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clarke, A.P.; Tempest, P.A.; Shea, J.H.

    2000-01-01

    A fuel performance modelling code (ENIGMA) has been used to analyse the empirical PCI failure criterion in terms of a clad failure stress as a function of burnup and fast neutron dose. The Studsvik database has been analysed. Results indicate a rising and then saturating failure stress with burnup and fast neutron dose. Using the PCI failure limits, equivalent to 95/95 confidence limits, an ENIGMA stress-based methodology is used to derive PWR PCI failure limits up to 60 GW·d/t U using a conservative assumption that the failure stress does not increase at high burnup and neutron dose. In addition experimental ramp data on gadolinia-doped fuel rods do not indicate any increased susceptibility to PCI failure implying that the UO 2 criterion can be used for gadolinia doped fuel. (author)

  12. Performance of high burned PWR fuel during transient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanagisawa, Kazuaki; Fujishiro, Toshio

    1992-01-01

    In a majority of Japanese light water type commercial powder reactors (LWRs), UO 2 pellet sheathed by zircaloy cladding is used. Licensed discharged burn-up of the PWR fuel rod is going to be increased from 39 MWd/kgU to 48 MWd/kgU. This requests the increased reliability of cladding material as a strong barrier against fission product (FP). A long time usage in the neutron field and in the high temperature coolant will cause the zircaloy hardening and embrittlement. The cladding material is also degraded by waterside corrosion. These degradations are enhanced much by increased burn-up. A increased magnitude of the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) is of importance for increasing the stress of cladding material. In addition, aggressive FPs released from the fuel tends to attack the cladding material to cause stress corrosion cracking (SCC). At the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR) in JAERI, 14 x 14 PWR type fuel rods preirradiation up to 42 MWd/kgU was prepared for the transient pulse irradiation under the simulated reactivity initiated accident (RIA) conditions. This will cause a prompt increase of the fuel temperature and stress on the highly burned cladding material. In the present paper, steady-state and transient behavior observed from the tested PWR fuel rod and calculational results obtained from the computer code FPRETAIN will be described. (author)

  13. On the condition of UO{sub 2} nuclear fuel irradiated in a PWR to a burn-up in excess of 110 MWd/kgHM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Restani, R.; Horvath, M. [Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232, Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Goll, W. [AREVA GmbH, P.O. Box 1109, DE-91001 Erlangen (Germany); Bertsch, J.; Gavillet, D.; Hermann, A. [Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232, Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Martin, M., E-mail: matthias.martin@psi.ch [Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232, Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Walker, C.T. [The Grange, 66 High Street, Swinderby, Lincoln LN6 9LU (United Kingdom)

    2016-12-01

    Post-irradiation examination results are presented for UO{sub 2} fuel from a PWR fuel rod that had been irradiated to an average burn-up of 105 MWd/kgHM and showed high fission gas release of 42%. The radial distribution of xenon and the partitioning of fission gas between bubbles and the fuel matrix was investigated using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and electron probe microanalysis. It is concluded that release from the fuel at intermediate radial positions was mainly responsible for the high fission gas release. In this region thermal release had occurred from the high burn-up structure (HBS) at some point after the sixth irradiation cycle. The LA-ICP-MS results indicate that gas release had also occurred from the HBS in the vicinity of the pellet periphery. It is shown that the gas pressure in the HBS pores is well below the pressure that the fuel can sustain. - Highlights: • Gas retention measured by laser ablation induction coupled plasma mass spectrometry. • Thermal release from the high burn structure responsible for high gas release. • At a pellet burn-up of 115 MWd/kgHM the high burn-up structure is still evolving. • The gas pressure in HBS pores is well below the pressure that the fuel can sustain.

  14. Specific application of burnup credit for MOX PWR fuels in the rotary dissolver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caplin, Gregory; Coulaud, Alexandre; Klenov, Pavel; Toubon, Herve

    2003-01-01

    In prospect of a Mixed OXide spent fuels processing in the rotary dissolver in COGEMA/La Hague plant, it is interesting to quantify the criticality-safety margins from the burnup credit. Using the current production computer codes and considering a minimal fuel irradiation of 3 200 megawatt-day per ton, this paper shows the impact of burnup credit on industrial parameters such as the permissible concentration in the dissolution solution or the permissible oxide mass in the rotary dissolver. Moreover, the burnup credit is broken down into five sequences in order to quantify the contribution of fissile nuclides decrease and of minor actinides and fission products formation. The implementation of the burnup credit in the criticality-safety analysis of the rotary dissolver may lead to workable industrial conditions for the particular MOX fuel studied. It can eventually be noticed that minor actinides contribution is negligible and that considering only the six major fission products is sufficient, owing to the weak fuel irradiation contemplated. (author)

  15. PIE and separate effect test of high burnup UO2 fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yong Sik; Kim, S.K.; Kim, D.H.

    2005-01-01

    To investigate the performance of a high burnup UO 2 fuel, the highest burnup fuel assembly in KOREA was transported to the PIE facility in KAERI. It was a 17·17 fuel assembly irradiated at the Ulchin Unit 2 PWR. The peak fuel rod average burnup was about 57MWd/kgU and locally 65MWd/kgU. The general PIE was performed to investigate the fuel rod irradiation performance. Fission gas release, burnup, oxide thickness, hydrogen pickup, CRUD, and density change were measured by destructive of non-destructive test. Microstructure change, bubble and pore size distributions were observed by optical microscopy, SEM and EPMA. All generated and available PIE results were used to verify high burnup fuel performance code INFRA. Several rods were cut for additional separate effect test. For the high burnup fission gas release behaviour analysis, annealing apparatus were developed and installed in hot cell and preliminary test was performed. In addition to current apparatus new induction furnace will be installed in hot cell to investigate the high temperature and transient fission gas release behaviour. Ring tensile test was performed to analyze the material property degradation which caused by the oxidation and hydride, and additional mechanical tests will be performed. (Author)

  16. Burnup credit in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conde, J.M.; Recio, M.

    2001-01-01

    The status of development of burnup credit for criticality safety analyses in Spain is described in this paper. Ongoing activities in the country in this field, both national and international, are resumed. Burnup credit is currently being applied to wet storage of PWR fuel, and credit to integral burnable absorbers is given for BWR fuel storage. It is envisaged to apply burnup credit techniques to the new generation of transport casks now in the design phase. The analysis methodologies submitted for the analyses of PWR and BWR fuel wet storage are outlined. Analytical activities in the country are described, as well as international collaborations in this field. Perspectives for future research and development of new applications are finally resumed. (author)

  17. Flexibility of ADS for minor actinides transmutation in different two-stage PWR-ADS fuel cycle scenarios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Shengcheng; Wu, Hongchun; Zheng, Youqi

    2018-01-01

    Highlights: •ADS reloading scheme is optimized to raise discharge burnup and lower reactivity loss. •ADS is flexible to be combined with various pyro-chemical reprocessing technologies. •ADS is flexible to transmute MAs from different spent PWR fuels. -- Abstract: A two-stage Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)-Accelerator Driven System (ADS) fuel cycle is proposed as an option to transmute minor actinides (MAs) recovered from the spent PWR fuels in the ADS system. At the second stage, the spent fuels discharged from ADS are reprocessed by the pyro-chemical process and the recovered actinides are mixed with the top-up MAs recovered from the spent PWR fuels to fabricate the new fuels used in ADS. In order to lower the amount of nuclear wastes sent to the geological repository, an optimized scattered reloading scheme for ADS is proposed to maximize the discharge burnup and lower the burnup reactivity loss. Then the flexibility of ADS for MA transmutation is evaluated in this research. Three aspects are discussed, including: different cooling time of spent ADS fuels before reprocessing, different reprocessing loss of spent ADS fuels, and different top-up MAs recovered from different kinds of spent PWR fuels. The ADS system is flexible to be combined with various pyro-chemical reprocessing technologies with specific spent fuels cooling time and unique reprocessing loss. The reduction magnitudes of the long-term decay heat and radiotoxicity of MAs by transmutation depend on the reprocessing loss. The ADS system is flexible to transmute MAs recovered from different kinds of spent PWR fuels, regardless of UOX or MOX fuels. The reduction magnitudes of the long-term decay heat and radiotoxicity of different MAs by transmutation stay on the same order.

  18. Survey of the power ramp performance testing of KWU'S PWR UO 2, fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ga¨rtner, M.; Fischer, G.

    1987-06-01

    To determine the power ramp performance of KWU's PWR UO 2 fuel, 134 fuel rodlets with burnups of up to 46 GWd/ t (U) and several fuel assemblies with 19 to 30 GWd/t (U) burnup were ramped in power in the research reactors HFR Petten/The Netherlands and R2 Studsvik/Sweden and in the power plants KWO and KWB-A/Germany, respectively. The power ramp tests demonstrate decreasing resistance of the PWR fuel rods to PCI (pellet-to-clad interaction) up to fuel burnups of 35 GWd/t (U) and a reversal effect at higher burnups. The fuel rods can be operated free of defects at fast power transients to linear heat generation rates of up to 400 W/cm, at least.Power levels of up to 490 W/cm can be reached without defects by reducing the ramp rate. After reshuffling according to an out-in scheme, 1-cycle fuel assemblies may return to rod powers of up to 480 W/cm with a power increase rate of up to 10 W/(cm min) without fuel rod damage. Set points basing on these test results and incorporated into the power distribution control and power density limitation system of KWU's advanced power plants guarantee safe plant operation under normal and load follow operating conditions.

  19. Reactivity and neutron emission measurements of highly burnt PWR fuel rod samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, M.F.; Jatuff, F.; Grimm, P.; Seiler, R.; Brogli, R.; Meier, G.; Berger, H.-D.; Chawla, R.

    2006-01-01

    Fuel rods with burnup values beyond 50 GWd/t are characterised by relatively large amounts of fission products and a high abundance of major and minor actinides. Of particular interest is the change in the reactivity of the fuel as a function of burnup and the capability of modern codes to predict this change. In addition, the neutron emission from burnt fuel has important implications for the design of transport and storage facilities. Measurements have been made of the reactivity effects and the neutron emission rates of highly burnt uranium oxide and mixed oxide fuel rod samples coming from a pressurised water reactor (PWR). The reactivity measurements have been made in a PWR lattice in the PROTEUS zero-energy reactor moderated in turn with: water, a water and heavy water mixture and water containing boron. A combined transport flask and sample changer was used to insert the 400 mm long burnt fuel rod segments into the reactor. Both control rod compensation and reactor period methods were used to determine the reactivities of the samples. For the range of burnup values investigated, an interesting exponential relationship has been found between the neutron emission rate and the measured reactivity

  20. Conservative axial burnup distributions for actinide-only burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, C.; Lancaster, D.

    1997-11-01

    Unlike the fresh fuel approach, which assumes the initial isotopic compositions for criticality analyses, any burnup credit methodology must address the proper treatment of axial burnup distributions. A straightforward way of treating a given axial burnup distribution is to segment the fuel assembly into multiple meshes and to model each burnup mesh with the corresponding isotopic compositions. Although this approach represents a significant increase in modeling efforts compared to the uniform average burnup approach, it can adequately determine the reactivity effect of the axial burnup distribution. A major consideration is what axial burnup distributions are appropriate for use in light of many possible distributions depending on core operating conditions and histories. This paper summarizes criticality analyses performed to determine conservative axial burnup distributions. The conservative axial burnup distributions presented in this paper are included in the Topical Report on Actinide-Only Burnup Credit for Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Packages, Revision 1 submitted in May 1997 by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). When approved by NRC, the conservative axial burnup distributions may be used to model PWR spent nuclear fuel for the purpose of gaining actinide only burnup credit

  1. LOCA testing of high burnup PWR fuel in the HBWR. Additional PIE on the cladding of the segment 650-5

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oberlaender, B.C.; Espeland, M.; Jenssen, H.K.

    2008-07-01

    IFA-650.5, a test with pre-irradiated fuel in the Halden Project LOCA test series, was conducted on October 23rd, 2006. The fuel rod had been used in a commercial PWR and had a high burnup, 83 MWd/kgU. Experimental arrangements of the fifth test were similar to the preceding LOCA tests. The peak cladding temperature (PCT) level was higher than in the third and fourth tests, 1050 C. A peak temperature close to the target was achieved and cladding burst occurred at approx. 750 C. Within the joint programme framework of the Halden Project PIE was done, consisting of gamma scanning, visual inspection, neutron-radiography, hydrogen analysis and metallography / ceramography. An additional extensive PIE including metallography, hydrogen analysis, and hardness measurements of cross-sections at seven axial elevations was done. It was completed to study the high burnup and LOCA induced effects on the Zr-4 cladding, namely the migration of oxygen into the cladding from the inside surface, the cladding distension, and the burst (author)(tk)

  2. Sensitivity and parametric evaluations of significant aspects of burnup credit for PWR spent fuel packages

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DeHart, M.D.

    1996-05-01

    Spent fuel transportation and storage cask designs based on a burnup credit approach must consider issues that are not relevant in casks designed under a fresh-fuel loading assumption. For example, the spent fuel composition must be adequately characterized and the criticality analysis model can be complicated by the need to consider axial burnup variations. Parametric analyses are needed to characterize the importance of fuel assembly and fuel cycle parameters on spent fuel composition and reactivity. Numerical models must be evaluated to determine the sensitivity of criticality safety calculations to modeling assumptions. The purpose of this report is to describe analyses and evaluations performed in order to demonstrate the effect physical parameters and modeling assumptions have on the criticality analysis of spent fuel. The analyses in this report include determination and ranking of the most important actinides and fission products; study of the effect of various depletion scenarios on subsequent criticality calculations; establishment of trends in neutron multiplication as a function of fuel enrichment, burnup, cooling time- and a parametric and modeling evaluation of three-dimensional effects (e.g., axially varying burnup and temperature/density effects) in a conceptual cask design. The sensitivity and parametric evaluations were performed with the consideration of two different burnup credit approaches: (1) only actinides in the fuel are considered in the criticality analysis, and (2) both actinides and fission products are considered. Calculations described in this report were performed using the criticality and depletion sequences available in the SCALE code system and the SCALE 27-group burnup library. Although the results described herein do not constitute a validation of SCALE for use in spent fuel analysis, independent validation efforts have been completed and are described in other reports.

  3. Sensitivity and parametric evaluations of significant aspects of burnup credit for PWR spent fuel packages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DeHart, M.D.

    1996-05-01

    Spent fuel transportation and storage cask designs based on a burnup credit approach must consider issues that are not relevant in casks designed under a fresh-fuel loading assumption. For example, the spent fuel composition must be adequately characterized and the criticality analysis model can be complicated by the need to consider axial burnup variations. Parametric analyses are needed to characterize the importance of fuel assembly and fuel cycle parameters on spent fuel composition and reactivity. Numerical models must be evaluated to determine the sensitivity of criticality safety calculations to modeling assumptions. The purpose of this report is to describe analyses and evaluations performed in order to demonstrate the effect physical parameters and modeling assumptions have on the criticality analysis of spent fuel. The analyses in this report include determination and ranking of the most important actinides and fission products; study of the effect of various depletion scenarios on subsequent criticality calculations; establishment of trends in neutron multiplication as a function of fuel enrichment, burnup, cooling time- and a parametric and modeling evaluation of three-dimensional effects (e.g., axially varying burnup and temperature/density effects) in a conceptual cask design. The sensitivity and parametric evaluations were performed with the consideration of two different burnup credit approaches: (1) only actinides in the fuel are considered in the criticality analysis, and (2) both actinides and fission products are considered. Calculations described in this report were performed using the criticality and depletion sequences available in the SCALE code system and the SCALE 27-group burnup library. Although the results described herein do not constitute a validation of SCALE for use in spent fuel analysis, independent validation efforts have been completed and are described in other reports

  4. Construction and tests of a gamma device for experimental measurements of burnup of nuclear reactor fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brandao Junior, F.A.

    1982-01-01

    The gamma-scanning method is an important tool for the measurement of burnup of nuclear reactor fuel. The adequate knowledge of burnup allows for a better inventory of 'sensitive' fissile materials, better fuel management and provides insight on fuel behaviour and safety margins. This paper is related to the description, construction and operation of a first gamma scanning device, tested by irradiation of prototype PWR fuel pins, 14 cm long, in a Triga Mark-I reactor at very low power. Despite the limitations imposed by the low burnup, the experiment permitted a good checking of the main physical concepts and devices involved in the method. (Author) [pt

  5. Parameterized representation of macroscopic cross section in the PWR fuel element considering burn-up cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belo, Thiago F.; Fiel, Joao Claudio B.

    2015-01-01

    Nuclear reactor core analysis involves neutronic modeling and the calculations require problem dependent nuclear data generated with few neutron energy groups, as for instance the neutron cross sections. The methods used to obtain these problem-dependent cross sections, in the reactor calculations, generally uses nuclear computer codes that require a large processing time and computational memory, making the process computationally very expensive. Presently, analysis of the macroscopic cross section, as a function of nuclear parameters, has shown a very distinct behavior that cannot be represented by simply using linear interpolation. Indeed, a polynomial representation is more adequate for the data parameterization. To provide the cross sections of rapidly and without the dependence of complex systems calculations, this work developed a set of parameterized cross sections, based on the Tchebychev polynomials, by fitting the cross sections as a function of nuclear parameters, which include fuel temperature, moderator temperature and density, soluble boron concentration, uranium enrichment, and the burn-up. In this study is evaluated the problem-dependent about fission, scattering, total, nu-fission, capture, transport and absorption cross sections for a typical PWR fuel element reactor, considering burn-up cycle. The analysis was carried out with the SCALE 6.1 code package. The results of comparison with direct calculations with the SCALE code system and also the test using project parameters, such as the temperature coefficient of reactivity and fast fission factor, show excellent agreements. The differences between the cross-section parameterization methodology and the direct calculations based on the SCALE code system are less than 0.03 percent. (author)

  6. Parameterized representation of macroscopic cross section in the PWR fuel element considering burn-up cycles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Belo, Thiago F.; Fiel, Joao Claudio B., E-mail: thiagofbelo@hotmail.com [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    Nuclear reactor core analysis involves neutronic modeling and the calculations require problem dependent nuclear data generated with few neutron energy groups, as for instance the neutron cross sections. The methods used to obtain these problem-dependent cross sections, in the reactor calculations, generally uses nuclear computer codes that require a large processing time and computational memory, making the process computationally very expensive. Presently, analysis of the macroscopic cross section, as a function of nuclear parameters, has shown a very distinct behavior that cannot be represented by simply using linear interpolation. Indeed, a polynomial representation is more adequate for the data parameterization. To provide the cross sections of rapidly and without the dependence of complex systems calculations, this work developed a set of parameterized cross sections, based on the Tchebychev polynomials, by fitting the cross sections as a function of nuclear parameters, which include fuel temperature, moderator temperature and density, soluble boron concentration, uranium enrichment, and the burn-up. In this study is evaluated the problem-dependent about fission, scattering, total, nu-fission, capture, transport and absorption cross sections for a typical PWR fuel element reactor, considering burn-up cycle. The analysis was carried out with the SCALE 6.1 code package. The results of comparison with direct calculations with the SCALE code system and also the test using project parameters, such as the temperature coefficient of reactivity and fast fission factor, show excellent agreements. The differences between the cross-section parameterization methodology and the direct calculations based on the SCALE code system are less than 0.03 percent. (author)

  7. EPRI/DOE High-Burnup Fuel Sister Rod Test Plan Simplification and Visualization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saltzstein, Sylvia J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sorenson, Ken B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hanson, B. D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Shimskey, R. W. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Klymyshyn, N. A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Webster, R. A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jensen, P. J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); MacFarlan, P. J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Billone, Mike [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Scaglione, John [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Montgomery, Rose [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bevard, Bruce [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-09-15

    The EPRI/DOE High-Burnup Confirmatory Data Project (herein called the “Demo”) is a multi-year, multi-entity test with the purpose of providing quantitative and qualitative data to show if high-burnup fuel mechanical properties change in dry storage over a ten-year period. The Demo involves obtaining 32 assemblies of high-burnup PWR fuel of common cladding alloys from the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant, loading them in an NRC-licensed TN-32B cask, drying them according to standard plant procedures, and then storing them on the North Anna dry storage pad for ten years. After the ten-year storage time, the cask will be opened and the mechanical properties of the rods will be tested and analyzed.

  8. Effects of pellet-to-cladding gap design parameters on the reliability of high burnup PWR fuel rods under steady state and transient conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tas, Fatma Burcu; Ergun, Sule

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Fuel performance of a typical Pressurized Water Reactor rod is analyzed. • Steady state fuel rod behavior is examined to see the effects of pellet to cladding gap thickness and gap gas pressure. • Transient fuel rod behavior is examined to see the effects of pellet to cladding gap thickness and gap gas pressure. • The optimum pellet to cladding gap thickness and gap gas pressure values of the simulated fuel are determined. • The effects of pellet to cladding gap design parameters on nuclear fuel reliability are examined. - Abstract: As an important improvement in the light water nuclear reactor operations, the nuclear fuel burnup rate is increased in recent decades and this increase causes heavier duty for the nuclear fuel. Since the high burnup fuel is exposed to very high thermal and mechanical stresses and since it operates in an environment with high radiation for about 18 month cycles, it carries the risk of losing its integrity. In this study; it is aimed to determine the effects of pellet–cladding gap thickness and gap pressure on reliability of high burnup nuclear fuel in Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) under steady state operation conditions and suggest optimum values for the examined parameters only and validate these suggestions for a transient condition. In the presented study, fuel performance was analyzed by examining the effects of pellet–cladding gap thickness and gap pressure on the integrity of high burnup fuels. This work is carried out for a typical Westinghouse type PWR fuel. The steady state conditions were modeled and simulated with FRAPCON-3.4a steady state fuel performance code and the FRAPTRAN-1.4 fuel transient code was used to calculate transient fuel behavior. The analysis included the changes in the important nuclear fuel design limitations such as the centerline temperature, cladding stress, strain and oxidation with the change in pellet–cladding gap thickness and initial pellet–cladding gap gas

  9. Impact of fission gas on irradiated PWR fuel behaviour at extended burnup under RIA conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemoine, F.; Schmitz, F.

    1996-01-01

    With the world-wide trend to increase the fuel burnup at discharge of the LWRs, the reliability of high burnup fuel must be proven, including its behaviour under energetic transient conditions, and in particular during RIAs. Specific aspects of irradiated fuel result from the increasing retention of gaseous and volatile fission products with burnup. The potential for swelling and transient expansion work under rapid heating conditions characterizes the high burnup fuel behaviour by comparison to fresh fuel. This effect is resulting from the steadily increasing amount of gaseous and volatile fission products retained inside the fuel structure. An attempt is presented to quantify the gas behaviour which is motivated by the results from the global tests both in CABRI and in NSRR. A coherent understanding of specific results, either transient release or post transient residual retention has been reached. The early failure of REP Na1 with consideration given to the satisfactory behaviour of the father rod of the test pin at the end of the irradiation (under load follow conditions) is to be explained both by the transient loading from gas driven fuel swelling and from the reduced clad resistance due to hydriding. (R.P.)

  10. Present status and future developments of the implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuber, J.C.; Kuehl, H.

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes the experience gained in Germany in implementing burnup credit in wet storage and dry transport systems of spent PWR, BWR, and MOX fuel. It gives a survey of the levels of burnup credit presently used, the regulatory status and activities planned, the fuel depletion codes and criticality calculation codes employed, the verification methods used for validating these codes, the modeling assumptions made to ensure that the burnup credit criticality analysis is based on a fuel irradiation history which leads to bounding neutron multiplication factors, and the implementation of procedures used for fuel loading verification. (author)

  11. Present status and future developments of the implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems in Germany

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neuber, J C [Siemens Nuclear Power GmbH, Offenbach (Germany); Kuehl, H [Wissenschaftlich-Technische Ingenieurberatung WTI GmbH, Juelich (Germany)

    2001-08-01

    This paper describes the experience gained in Germany in implementing burnup credit in wet storage and dry transport systems of spent PWR, BWR, and MOX fuel. It gives a survey of the levels of burnup credit presently used, the regulatory status and activities planned, the fuel depletion codes and criticality calculation codes employed, the verification methods used for validating these codes, the modeling assumptions made to ensure that the burnup credit criticality analysis is based on a fuel irradiation history which leads to bounding neutron multiplication factors, and the implementation of procedures used for fuel loading verification. (author)

  12. Behaviour of fission gas in the rim region of high burn-up UO2 fuel pellets with particular reference to results from an XRF investigation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mogensen, M.; Walker, C.T.

    1999-01-01

    XRF and EPMA results for retained xenon from Battelle's high burn-up effects program are re-evaluated. The data reviewed are from commercial low enriched BWR fuel with burn-ups of 44.8-54.9 GWd/tU and high enriched PWR fuel with burn-ups from 62.5 to 83.1 GWd/tU. It is found that the high burn-up structure penetrated much deeper than initially reported. The local burn-up threshold for the formation of the high burn-up structure in those fuels with grain sizes in the normal range lay between 60 and 75 GWd/tU. The high burn-up structure was not detected by EPMA in a fuel that had a grain size of 78 μm although the local burn-up at the pellet rim had exceeded 80 GWd/tU. It is concluded that fission gas had been released from the high burn-up structure in three PWR fuel sections with burn-ups of 70.4, 72.2 and 83.1 GWd/tU. In the rim region of the last two sections at the locations where XRF indicated gas release the local burn-up was higher than 75 GWd/tU. (orig.)

  13. Some implications of batch average burnup calculations on predicted spent fuel compositions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, C.W.; Croff, A.G.

    1984-01-01

    The accuracy of using batch-averaged burnups to determine spent fuel characteristics (such as isotopic composition, activity, etc.) was examined for a typical pressurized-water reactor (PWR) fuel discharge batch by comparing characteristics computed by (a) performing a single depletion calculation using the average burnup of the spent fuel and (b) performing separate depletion calculations based on the relative amounts of spent fuel in each of twelve burnup ranges and summing the results. The computations were done using ORIGEN 2. Procedure (b) showed a significant shift toward a greater quantity of the heavier transuranics, which derive from multiple neutron captures, and a corresponding decrease in the amounts of lower transuranics. Those characteristics which derive primarily from fission products, such as total radioactivity and total thermal power, are essentially identical for the two procedures. Those characteristics that derive primarily from the heavier transuranics, such as spontaneous fission neutrons, are underestimated by procedure (a)

  14. Validating Westinghouse atom 16 x 16 and 18 x 18 PWR fuel performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, S.; Gustafson, J.; Jourdain, P.; Lindstroem, L.; Hallstadius, L.; Hofling, C.G.

    2001-01-01

    Westinghouse Atom designs and fabricates PWR fuel for all major European fuel types: 17 x 17 standard (12 ft) and 17 x 17 XL (14 ft) for Westinghouse type PWRs, and 16 x 16 and 18 x 18 fuel for Siemens type PWRs. The W Atom PWR fuel designs are based on the extensive Westinghouse CE PWR fuel experience from combustion engineering type PWRs. The W atom designs utilise basic design features from the W CE fuel tradition, such as all-Zircaloy mid grids and the proven ( 6 rod years) Guardian TM debris catcher, which is integrated in the bottom Inconel grid. Several new features have been developed to meet with stringent European requirements originating from requirements on very high burnup, in combination with low-leakage core operating strategies and high coolant temperatures. The overall reliability of the Westinghouse Atom PWR fuel is very high; no fuel failure has been detected since 1997. (orig.)

  15. Modeling of PWR fuel at extended burnup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dias, Raphael M.; Silva, Antonio Teixeira, E-mail: rmdias@ipen.br, E-mail: teixeira@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    Since FRAPCON-3 series was rolled out, many improvements have been implanted in fuel performance codes, based on most recent literature, to promote better predictions against current data. Much of this advances include: improving fuel gas release prediction, hydrogen pickup model, cladding corrosion, and many others. An example of those modifications has been new cladding materials has added into hydrogen pickup model to support M5™, ZIRLO™, and ZIRLO™ optimized family under pressurized water reactor (PWR) conditions. Recently some research have been made over USNRC's steady-state fuel performance code, assessments against FUMEX-III's data have concluded that FRAPCON provides best-estimate calculation of fuel performance. Face of this, a study is required to summarize all those modifications and new implementations, as well as to compare this result against FRAPCON's older version, scrutinizing FRAPCON-3 series documentation to understand the real goal and literature base of any improvements. We have concluded that FRAPCON's latest modifications are based on strong literature review. Those modifications were tested against most recent data to assure these results will be the best evaluation as possible. Many improvements have been made to allow USNRC to have an audit tool with the last improvements. (author)

  16. Modeling of PWR fuel at extended burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Raphael M.; Silva, Antonio Teixeira

    2015-01-01

    Since FRAPCON-3 series was rolled out, many improvements have been implanted in fuel performance codes, based on most recent literature, to promote better predictions against current data. Much of this advances include: improving fuel gas release prediction, hydrogen pickup model, cladding corrosion, and many others. An example of those modifications has been new cladding materials has added into hydrogen pickup model to support M5™, ZIRLO™, and ZIRLO™ optimized family under pressurized water reactor (PWR) conditions. Recently some research have been made over USNRC's steady-state fuel performance code, assessments against FUMEX-III's data have concluded that FRAPCON provides best-estimate calculation of fuel performance. Face of this, a study is required to summarize all those modifications and new implementations, as well as to compare this result against FRAPCON's older version, scrutinizing FRAPCON-3 series documentation to understand the real goal and literature base of any improvements. We have concluded that FRAPCON's latest modifications are based on strong literature review. Those modifications were tested against most recent data to assure these results will be the best evaluation as possible. Many improvements have been made to allow USNRC to have an audit tool with the last improvements. (author)

  17. Evolutionary developments of advanced PWR nuclear fuels and cladding materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Kyu-Tae

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • PWR fuel and cladding materials development processes are provided. • Evolution of PWR advanced fuel in U.S.A. and in Korea is described. • Cutting-edge design features against grid-to-rod fretting and debris are explained. • High performance data of advanced grids, debris filters and claddings are given. -- Abstract: The evolutionary developments of advanced PWR fuels and cladding materials are explained with outstanding design features of nuclear fuel assembly components and zirconium-base cladding materials. The advanced PWR fuel and cladding materials development processes are also provided along with verification tests, which can be used as guidelines for newcomers planning to develop an advanced fuel for the first time. The up-to-date advanced fuels with the advanced cladding materials may provide a high level of economic utilization and reliable performance even under current and upcoming aggressive operating conditions. To be specific, nuclear fuel vendors may achieve high fuel burnup capability of between 45,000 and 65,000 MWD/MTU batch average, overpower thermal margin of as much as 15% and longer cycle length up to 24 months on the one hand and fuel failure rates of around 10 −6 on the other hand. However, there is still a need for better understanding of grid-to-rod fretting wear mechanisms leading to major PWR fuel defects in the world and subsequently a driving force for developing innovative spacer grid designs with zero fretting wear-induced fuel failure

  18. Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety Benchmark-Phase II-E. Impact of Isotopic Inventory Changes due to Control Rod Insertions on Reactivity and the End Effect in PWR UO2 Fuel Assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuber, Jens Christian; Tippl, Wolfgang; Hemptinne, Gwendoline de; Maes, Philippe; Ranta-aho, Anssu; Peneliau, Yannick; Jutier, Ludyvine; Tardy, Marcel; Reiche, Ingo; Kroeger, Helge; Nakata, Tetsuo; Armishaw, Malcom; Miller, Thomas M.

    2015-01-01

    The report describes the final results of the Phase II-E Burn-up Credit Criticality Benchmark conducted by the Expert Group on Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety. The objective of Phase II of the Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety programme is to study the impact of axial burn-up profiles of PWR UO 2 spent fuel assemblies on the reactivity of PWR UO 2 spent fuel assembly configurations. The objective of the Phase II-E benchmark was to study the impact of changes on the spent nuclear fuel isotopic composition due to control rod insertion during depletion on the reactivity and the end effect of spent fuel assemblies with realistic axial burn-up profiles for different control rod insertion depths ranging from 0 cm (no insertion) to full insertion (i.e. to the case that the fuel assemblies were exposed to control rod insertion over their full active length). For this purpose two axial burn-up profiles have been extracted from an AREVA-NP-GmbH-owned 17x17-(24+1) PWR UO 2 spent fuel assembly burn-up profile database. One profile has an average burn-up of 30 MWd/kg U, the other profile is related to an average burn-up of 50 MWd/kg U. Two profiles with different average burn-up values were selected because the shape of the burn-up profile is affected by the average burn-up and the end effect depends on the average burn-up of the fuel. The Phase II-E benchmark exercise complements the Phase II-C and Phase II-D benchmark exercises. In Phase II-D different irradiation histories were analysed using different control rod insertion histories during depletion as well as irradiation histories without control rod insertion. But in all the histories analysed a uniform distribution of the burn-up and hence a uniform distribution of the isotopic composition were assumed; and in all the histories including any usage of control rods full insertion of the control rods was assumed. In Phase II-C the impact of the asymmetry of axial burn-up profiles on the reactivity and the end effect of

  19. Burnup verification tests with the FORK measurement system-implementation for burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewing, R.I.

    1994-01-01

    Verification measurements may be used to help ensure nuclear criticality safety when burnup credit is applied to spent fuel transport and storage systems. The FORK system measures the passive neutron and gamma-ray emission from spent fuel assemblies while in the storage pool. It was designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards program and is well suited to verify burnup and cooling time records at commercial Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) sites. This report deals with the application of the FORK system to burnup credit operations

  20. Monte Carlo burnup simulation of the TAKAHAMA-3 benchmark experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalle, Hugo M.

    2009-01-01

    High burnup PWR fuel is currently being studied at CDTN/CNEN-MG. Monte Carlo burnup code system MONTEBURNS is used to characterize the neutronic behavior of the fuel. In order to validate the code system and calculation methodology to be used in this study the Japanese Takahama-3 Benchmark was chosen, as it is the single burnup benchmark experimental data set freely available that partially reproduces the conditions of the fuel under evaluation. The burnup of the three PWR fuel rods of the Takahama-3 burnup benchmark was calculated by MONTEBURNS using the simplest infinite fuel pin cell model and also a more complex representation of an infinite heterogeneous fuel pin cells lattice. Calculations results for the mass of most isotopes of Uranium, Neptunium, Plutonium, Americium, Curium and some fission products, commonly used as burnup monitors, were compared with the Post Irradiation Examinations (PIE) values for all the three fuel rods. Results have shown some sensitivity to the MCNP neutron cross-section data libraries, particularly affected by the temperature in which the evaluated nuclear data files were processed. (author)

  1. MOX and UOX PWR fuel performances EDF operating experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Provost, Jean-Luc; Debes, Michel

    2005-01-01

    Based on a large program of experimentations implemented during the 90s, the industrial achievement of new FAs designs with increased performances opens up new prospects. The currently UOX fuels used on the 58 EDF PWR units are now authorized up to a maximum FA burn-up of 52 GWd/t with a large experience from 45 to 50 GWd/t. Today, the new products, along with the progress made in the field of calculation methods, still enable to increase further the fuel performances with respect to the safety margins. Thus, the conditions are met to implement in the next years new fuel managements on each NPPs series of the EDF fleet with increased enrichment (up to 4.5%) and irradiation limits (up to 62 GWd/t). The recycling of plutonium is part of EDF's reprocessing/recycling strategy. Up to now, 20 PWR 900 MW reactors are managed in MOX hybrid management. The feedback experience of 18 years of PWR operation with MOX is satisfactory, without any specific problem regarding manoeuvrability or plant availability. EDF is now looking to introduce MOX fuels with a higher plutonium content (up to 8.6%) equivalent to natural uranium enriched to 3.7%. It is the goal of the MOX Parity core management which achieve balance of MOX and UOX fuel performance with a significant increase of the MOX average discharge burn-up (BU max: 52 GWd/t for MOX and UOX). The industrial maturity of new FAs designs, with increased performances, allows the implementation in the next years of new fuel managements on each NPPs series of the EDF fleet. The scheduling of the implementation of the new fuel managements on the PWRs fleet is a great challenge for EDF, with important stakes: the nuclear KWh cost decrease with the improvement of the plant operation performance. (author)

  2. Models for fuel rod behaviour at high burnup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jernkvist, Lars O.; Massih, Ali R. [Quantum Technologies AB, Uppsala Science Park, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2004-12-01

    This report deals with release of fission product gases and irradiation-induced restructuring in uranium dioxide nuclear fuel. Waterside corrosion of zirconium alloy clad tubes to light water reactor fuel rods is also discussed. Computational models, suitable for implementation in the FRAPCON-3.2 computer code, are proposed for these potentially life-limiting phenomena. Hence, an integrated model for the calculation or thermal fission gas release by intragranular diffusion, gas trapping in grain boundaries, irradiation-induced re-solution, grain boundary saturation, and grain boundary sweeping in UO{sub 2} fuel, under time varying temperature loads, is formulated. After a brief review of the status of thermal fission gas release modelling, we delineate the governing equations for the aforementioned processes. Grain growth kinetic modelling is briefly reviewed and pertinent data on grain growth of high burnup fuel obtained during power ramps in the Third Risoe Fission Gas Release Project are evaluated. Sample computations are performed, which clearly show the connection between fission gas release and gram growth as a function of time at different isotherms. Models are also proposed for the restructuring of uranium dioxide fuel at high burnup, the so-called rim formation, and its effect on fuel porosity build-up, fuel thermal conductivity and fission gas release. These models are assessed by use of recent experimental data from the High Burnup Rim Project, as well as from post irradiation examinations of high-burnup fuel, irradiated in power reactors. Moreover, models for clad oxide growth and hydrogen pickup in PWRs, applicable to Zircaloy-4, ZIRLO or M5 cladding, are formulated, based on recent in-reactor corrosion data for high-burnup fuel rods. Our evaluation of these data indicates that the oxidation rate of ZIRLO-type materials is about 20% lower than for standard Zircaloy-4 cladding under typical PWR conditions. Likewise, the oxidation rate of M5 seems to be

  3. Present status and future developments of the implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuber, J.C.

    1998-01-01

    The paper describes the experience gained in Germany in applying burnup credit methodologies to wet storage and dry transport systems of spent LWR fuel. It gives a survey of the levels of burnup credit presently used or intended to be used, the regulatory status and future developments planned, the codes used for performing depletion and criticality calculations, the methods applied to verification of these codes, and the methods used to treat parameters specific of burnup credit. In particular it is shown that the effect of axial burnup profiles on wet PWR storage designs based on burnup credit varies from fuel type to fuel type. For wet BWR storage systems the method of estimating a loading curve is described which provides for a given BWR fuel assembly design the minimum required initial burnable absorber content as a function of the initial enrichment of the fuel. (author)

  4. High Burnup Fuel Behaviour under LOCA Conditions as Observed in Halden Reactor Experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolstad, E.; Wiesenack, W.; Oberlander, B.; Tverberg, T.

    2013-01-01

    In the context of assessing the validity of safety criteria for loss of coolant accidents with high burnup fuel, the OECD Halden Reactor Project has implemented an integral in-pile LOCA test series. In this series, fuel fragmentation and relocation, axial gas communication in high burnup rods as affected by gap closure and fuel- clad bonding, and secondary cladding oxidation and hydriding are of major interest. In addition, the data are being used for code validation as well as model development and verification. So far, nine tests with irradiated fuel segments (burnup 40-92 MW.d.kg -1 ) from PWR, BWR and VVER commercial nuclear power plants have been carried out. The in-pile measurements and the PIE results show a good repeatability of the experiments. The paper describes the experimental setup as well as the principal features and main results of these tests. Fuel fragmentation and relocation have occurred to varying degrees in these tests. The paper compares the conditions leading to the presence or absence of fuel fragmentation, e.g., burnup and loss of constraint. Axial gas flow is an important driving force for clad ballooning, fuel relocation and fuel expulsion. The experiments have provided evidence that such gas flow can be impeded in high burnup fuel with a potential impact on the ballooning and fuel dispersal. Although the results of the Halden LOCA tests are, to some extent, amplified by conditions and features deliberately introduced into the test series, the fuel behaviour identified in the Halden tests has an impact on the safety assessment of high burnup fuel and should give rise to improvements of the predictive capabilities of LOCA modelling codes. (author)

  5. Analysis of the behavior under irradiation of high burnup nuclear fuels with the computer programs FRAPCON and FRAPTRAN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reis, Regis; Silva, Antonio Teixeira e, E-mail: teixeira@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2017-11-01

    The objective of this paper is to verify the validity and accuracy of the results provided by computer programs FRAPCON-3.4a and FRAPTRAN-1.4, used in the simulation process of the irradiation behavior of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) fuel rods, in steady-state and transient operational conditions at high burnup. To achieve this goal, the results provided by these computer simulations are compared with experimental data available in the database FUMEX III. Through the results, it was found that the computer programs used have a good ability to predict the operational behavior of PWR fuel rods in high burnup steady-state conditions and under the influence of Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA). (author)

  6. Conservatism in the actinide-only burnup credit for PWR spent nuclear fuel packages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lancaster, D.B.; Rahimi, M.; Thornton, J.

    1996-01-01

    In May 1995, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a topical report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to gain actinide-only burnup credit for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage, transportation, or disposal packages. After approval of this topical report, DOE intends further submittals to the NRC to acquire additional burnup credit (e.g., the topical does not use fission products and is limited to only the first 100 yr of disposal). The NRC has responded to the topical with its preliminary questions. To aid in evaluation of the method, a review of the conservatism in the actinide-only burnup credit methodology was performed. An overview of the actinide-only burnup credit methodology is presented followed by a summary of the conservatism

  7. Uranium and plutonium determinations for evaluation of high burnup fuel performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heinrich, R.R.; Popek, R.J.; Bowers, D.L.; Essling, A.M.; Callis, E.L.; Persiani, P.J.

    1985-01-01

    Purpose of this work is to experimentally test computational methods being developed for reactor fuel operation. Described are the analytical techniques used in the determination of uranium and plutonium compositions on PWR fuel that has spanned five power cycles, culminating in 55,000 to 57,000 MWd/T burnup. Analyses have been performed on ten samples excised from selected sections of the fuel rods. Hot cell operations required the separation of fuel from cladding and the comminution of the fuel. These tasks were successfully accomplished using a SpectroMil, a ball pestle impact grinding and blending instrument manufactured by Chemplex Industries, Inc., Eastchester, New York. The fuel was dissolved using strong mineral acids and bomb dissolution techniques. Separation of the fuel from fission products was done by solvent (hexone) extraction. Fuel isotopic compositions and assays were determined by the mass spectrometric isotope dilution (MSID) method using NBS standards SRM-993 and SRM-996. Alpha spectrometry was used to determine the 238 Pu composition. Relative correlations of composition with burnup were obtained by gamma-ray spectrometry of selected fission products in the dissolved fuel

  8. French analytic experiment on the high specific burnup of PWR fuels in normal conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruet, M.; Atabek, R.; Houdaille, B.; Baron, D.

    1982-04-01

    Hydrostatic density determinations made on UO 2 pellets of different kinds irradiated in conditions representative of PWR conditions enable the internal swelling rate of the UO 2 to be ascertained. A mean value of 0.8% per 10 4 MWdt -1 (u) up to a specific burnup of 45000 MWdt -1 (u) may be deduced from this experimental basis. These results agree well with those obtained in the TANGO experiments in which UO 2 balls were irradiated in quasi isothermal conditions and without stress. Further, the open porosity of oxide closes progressively and the change in the total porosity is thus very limited (under 1% at 45000 MWdt -1 (u)). With respect to the swelling of the pellets the rise in the specific burnup would not appear therefore to be a problem. The behaviour of recrystallized zircaloy 4 claddings remains satisfactory with respect to creep and growth during irradiation [fr

  9. PENBURN - A 3-D Zone-Based Depletion/Burnup Solver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manalo, Kevin; Plower, Thomas; Rowe, Mireille; Mock, Travis; Sjoden, Glenn E.

    2008-01-01

    PENBURN (Parallel Environment Burnup) is a general depletion/burnup solver which, when provided with zone-based reaction rates, computes time-dependent isotope concentrations for a set of actinides and fission products. Burnup analysis in PENBURN is performed with a direct Bateman-solver chain solution technique. Specifically, in tandem with PENBURN is the use of PENTRAN, a parallel multi-group anisotropic Sn code for 3-D Cartesian geometries. In PENBURN, the linear chain method is actively used to solve individual isotope chains which are then fully attributed by the burnup code to yield integrated isotope concentrations for each nuclide specified. Included with the discussion of code features, a single PWR fuel pin calculation with the burnup code is performed and detailed with a benchmark comparison to PIE (Post-Irradiation Examination) data within the SFCOMPO (Spent Fuel Composition / NEA) database, and also with burnup codes in SCALE5.1. Conclusions within the paper detail, in PENBURN, the accuracy of major actinides, flux profile behavior as a function of burnup, and criticality calculations for the PWR fuel pin model. (authors)

  10. Feasibility assessment of burnup credit in the criticality analysis of shipping casks with boiling water reactor spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.

    1991-08-01

    Considerable interest in the allowance of reactivity credit for the exposure history of power reactor fuel currently exists. This ''burnup credit'' issue has the potential to greatly reduce risk and cost when applied to the design and certification of spent fuel casks used for transportation and storage. Recently, analyses have demonstrated the technical feasibility and estimated the risk and economic incentives for allowing burnup credit in pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel shipping cask applications. This report summarizes the extension of the previous PWR technical feasibility assessment to boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel. This feasibility analysis aims to apply simple methods that adequately characterize the time-dependent isotopic compositions of typical BWR fuel. An initial analysis objective was to identify a simple and reliable method for characterizing BWR spent fuel. Two different aspects of fuel characterization were considered:l first, the generation of burn- up dependent material interaction probabilities; second, the prediction of material inventories over time (depletion). After characterizing the spent fuel at various stages of exposure and decay, three dimensional (3-D) models for an infinite array of assemblies and, in several cases, infinite arrays of assemblies in a typical shipping cask basket were analyzed. Results for assemblies without a basket provide reactivity control requirements as a function of burnup and decay, while results including the basket allow assessment of typical basket configurations to provide sufficient reactivity control for spent BWR fuel. Resulting basket worths and reactivity trends over time are then evaluated to determine whether burnup credit is needed and feasible in BWR applications

  11. Effect of transplutonium doping on approach to long-life core in uranium-fueled PWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peryoga, Yoga; Saito, Masaki; Artisyuk, Vladimir [Tokyo Inst. of Tech. (Japan). Research Lab. for Nuclear Reactors; Shmelev, Anatolii [Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2002-08-01

    The present paper advertises doping of transplutonium isotopes as an essential measure to improve proliferation-resistance properties and burnup characteristics of UOX fuel for PWR. Among them {sup 241}Am might play the decisive role of burnable absorber to reduce the initial reactivity excess while the short-lived nuclides {sup 242}Cm and {sup 244}Cm decay into even plutonium isotopes, thus increasing the extent of denaturation for primary fissile {sup 239}Pu in the course of reactor operation. The doping composition corresponds to one discharged from a current PWR. For definiteness, the case identity is ascribed to atomic percentage of {sup 241}Am, and then the other transplutonium nuclide contents follow their ratio as in the PWR discharged fuel. The case of 1 at% doping to 20% enriched uranium oxide fuel shows the potential of achieving the burnup value of 100 GWd/tHM with about 20% {sup 238}Pu fraction at the end of irradiation. Since so far, americium and curium do not require special proliferation resistance measures, their doping to UOX would assist in introducing nuclear technology in developing countries with simultaneous reduction of accumulated minor actinides stockpiles. (author)

  12. Effect of transplutonium doping on approach to long-life core in uranium-fueled PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peryoga, Yoga; Saito, Masaki; Artisyuk, Vladimir

    2002-01-01

    The present paper advertises doping of transplutonium isotopes as an essential measure to improve proliferation-resistance properties and burnup characteristics of UOX fuel for PWR. Among them 241 Am might play the decisive role of burnable absorber to reduce the initial reactivity excess while the short-lived nuclides 242 Cm and 244 Cm decay into even plutonium isotopes, thus increasing the extent of denaturation for primary fissile 239 Pu in the course of reactor operation. The doping composition corresponds to one discharged from a current PWR. For definiteness, the case identity is ascribed to atomic percentage of 241 Am, and then the other transplutonium nuclide contents follow their ratio as in the PWR discharged fuel. The case of 1 at% doping to 20% enriched uranium oxide fuel shows the potential of achieving the burnup value of 100 GWd/tHM with about 20% 238 Pu fraction at the end of irradiation. Since so far, americium and curium do not require special proliferation resistance measures, their doping to UOX would assist in introducing nuclear technology in developing countries with simultaneous reduction of accumulated minor actinides stockpiles. (author)

  13. Features of fuel performance at high fuel burnups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Proselkov, V.N.; Scheglov, A.S.; Smirnov, A.V.; Smirnov, V.P.

    2001-01-01

    Some features of fuel behavior at high fuel burnups, in particular, initiation and development of rim-layer, increase in the rate of fission gas release from the fuel and increase in the inner gas pressure in the fuel rod are briefly described. Basing on the analysis of the data of post-irradiation examinations of fuel rods of WWER-440 working FA and CR fuel followers, that have been operated for five fuel cycles and got the average fuel burnup or varies as 50MW-day/kgU, a conclusion is made that the WWER-440 fuel burnup can be increased at least to average burnups of 55-58 MW-day/kgU per fuel assembly (Authors)

  14. Development of base technology for high burnup PWR fuel improvement Volume 1 and 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Yang Eun; Lee, Sang Hee; Bae, Seong Man [Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Research Center; Chung, Jin Gon; Chung, Sun Kyo; Kim, Sun Du [Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst., Daeduk (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jae Won; Chung, Sun Kyo; Kim, Sun Du [Korea Nuclear Fuel Development Inst., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1995-12-31

    Development of base technology for high burnup nuclear fuel -Development of UO{sub 2} pellet manufacturing technology -Improvement of fuel rod performance code -Improvement of plenum spring design -Study on the mechanical characteristics of fuel cladding -Organization of fuel failure mechanism Establishment of next stage R and D program (author). 226 refs., 100 figs.

  15. Effects of Lower Drying-Storage Temperature on the Ductility of High-Burnup PWR Cladding

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Billone, M. C. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Burtseva, T. A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2016-08-30

    The purpose of this research effort is to determine the effects of canister and/or cask drying and storage on radial hydride precipitation in, and potential embrittlement of, high-burnup (HBU) pressurized water reactor (PWR) cladding alloys during cooling for a range of peak drying-storage temperatures (PCT) and hoop stresses. Extensive precipitation of radial hydrides could lower the failure hoop stresses and strains, relative to limits established for as-irradiated cladding from discharged fuel rods stored in pools, at temperatures below the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT).

  16. High burnup (41 - 61 GWd/tU) BWR fuel behavior under reactivity initiated accident conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakamura, Takehiko; Kusagaya, Kazuyuki; Yoshinaga, Makio; Uetsuka, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2001-12-01

    High burnup boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel was pulse irradiated in the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR) to investigate fuel behavior under cold startup reactivity initiated accident (RIA) conditions. Temperature, deformation, failure, and fission gas release behavior under the simulated RIA condition was studied in the tests. Fuel failure due to pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) did not occur in the tests with typical domestic BWR fuel at burnups up to 56 GWd/tU, because they had limited cladding embrittlement due to hydrogen absorption of about 100 ppm or less. However, the cladding failure occurred in tests with fuel at a burnup of 61 GWd/tU, in which the peak hydrogen content in the cladding was above 150 ppm. This type of failure was observed for the first time in BWR fuels. The cladding failure occurred at fuel enthalpies of 260 to 360 J/g (62 to 86 cal/g), which were higher than the PCMI failure thresholds decided by the Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission. From post-test examinations of the failed fuel, it was found that the crack in the BWR cladding progressed in a manner different from the one in PWR cladding failed in earlier tests, owing to its more randomly oriented hydride distribution. Because of these differences, the BWR fuel was judged to have failed at hydrogen contents lower than those of the PWR fuel. Comparison of the test results with code calculations revealed that the PCMI failure was caused by thermal expansion of pellets, rather than by the fission gas expansion in the pellets. The gas expansion, however, was found to cause large cladding hoop deformation later after the cladding temperature escalated. (author)

  17. Burnup credit applications in a high-capacity truck cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boshoven, J.K.

    1992-09-01

    General Atomics (GA) has designed two legal weight truck (LWT) casks, the GA-4 and GA-9, to carry four pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) and nine boiling-water-reactor (BWR) fuel assemblies, respectively. GA plans to submit applications for certification to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the two casks in mid-1993. GA will include burnup credit analysis in the Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP) for the GA-4 Cask. By including burnup credit in the criticality safety analysis for PWR fuels with initial enrichments above 3% U-235, public and occupation risks are reduced and cost savings are realized. The GA approach to burnup credit analysis incorporates the information produced in the US Department of Energy Burnup Credit Program. This paper describes the application of burnup credit to the criticality control design of the GA-4 Cask

  18. Effect of fissile isotope burnup on criticality safety for stored disintegrated fuel rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heaberlin, S.W.; Selby, G.P.

    1978-09-01

    If the fuel rods were to disintegrate and water added, a criticality could occur in a 13-in. PWR canister with fresh fuel enriched to 3.5 wt % 235 U. The question is, ''If credit could be taken for burnup, could this indicate a subcritical condition.'' In attempting to answer this question, a series of calculations were performed. A set of isotopic concentrations were generated for 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, and 20,000 MWD/MTU burnup levels. Four reflector materials, water, concrete and two types of soil, were considered. Results indicate that allowing credit for fissile isotope burnup does not completely remove the concern for criticality safety in the event of rod disintegration. Reactivities which are ''subcritical'' (k/sub eff/ = 0.95) would not occur for three of the four reflector materials at even the 20,000 MWD/MTU burnup level in the 13-in. canister. The water reflected canister would achieve the k/sub eff/ = 0.95 level near 18,000 MWD/MTU. A smaller canister could be postulated. If a quarter inch gap is allowed, a Westinghouse 17 x 17 PWR assembly requires a 12 1 / 4 inch diameter canister. For such a canister with water reflection the ''subcritical'' (k/sub eff/ = 0.95) level would be reached near 15,000 MWD/MTU. The soil reflected canisters would reach this level between 18,000 and 19,000 MWD/MTU. Considering the difficulties in taking credit for burnup, such modest gains in apparent safety are not encouraging. This situation might be improved, however, if credit were also taken for neutron absorption by fission product poisons produced during burnup. It is strongly recommended that other approaches to a solution of the criticality safety problem be considered

  19. Influence of prolonged nuclear fuel burnup on safety characteristics of advanced PWRs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spasojevic, D.; Matausek, M.; Marinkovic, N.

    1989-01-01

    Prolonged nuclear fuel burnup in advanced NPP with four or more instead of three one-year cycles, and/or with 15- to 18-month instead of standard 12-month cycles, requires the fresh fuel to have increased enrichment combined with burnable poisons. This causes changes in axial and radial distribution of power generation during the particular fuel cycles, so that detailed analyses of thermal reliability of reactor core becomes necessary. This paper presents the results of the analysis of the departure from nuclear boiling ratio DNBR for an equilibrium cycle of an advanced PWR. (author)

  20. On the thermal conductivity of UO2 nuclear fuel at a high burn-up of around 100 MWd/kgHM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, C.T.; Staicu, D.; Sheindlin, M.; Papaioannou, D.; Goll, W.; Sontheimer, F.

    2006-01-01

    A study of the thermal conductivity of a commercial PWR fuel with an average pellet burn-up of 102 MWd/kgHM is described. The thermal conductivity data reported were derived from the thermal diffusivity measured by the laser flash method. The factors determining the fuel thermal conductivity at high burn-up were elucidated by investigating the recovery that occurred during thermal annealing. It was found that the thermal conductivity in the outer region of the fuel was much higher than it would have been if the high burn-up structure were not present. The increase in thermal conductivity is a consequence of the removal of fission products and radiation defects from the fuel lattice during recrystallisation of the fuel grains (an integral part of the formation process of the high burn-up structure). The gas porosity in the high burn-up structure lowers the increase in thermal conductivity caused by recrystallisation

  1. HEXBU-3D, a three-dimensional PWR-simulator program for hexagonal fuel assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karvinen, E.

    1981-06-01

    HEXBU-3D is a three-dimensional nodal simulator program for PWR reactors. It is designed for a reactor core that consists of hexagonal fuel assemblies and of big follower-type control assemblies. The program solves two-group diffusion equations in homogenized fuel assembly geometry by a sophisticated nodal method. The treatment of feedback effects from xenon-poisoning, fuel temperature, moderator temperature and density and soluble boron concentration are included in the program. The nodal equations are solved by a fast two-level iteration technique and the eigenvalue can be either the effective multiplication factor or the boron concentration of the moderator. Burnup calculations are performed by tabulated sets of burnup-dependent cross sections evaluated by a cell burnup program. HEXBY-3D has been originally programmed in FORTRAN V for the UNIVAC 1108 computer, but there is also another version which is operable on the CDC CYBER 170 computer. (author)

  2. Numerical analysis and simulation of behavior of high burn-up PWR fuel pulse-irradiated in reactivity-initiated accident conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, M.; Sugiyama, T.; Udagawa, Y.; Nagase, F.; Fuketa, T.

    2010-01-01

    The four cases of the NSRR experiments, consisting of two room temperature tests and two high temperature tests, using high burn-up PWR fuel rods are analyzed by using the RANNS code to discuss the fuel behavior in hypothetical pulse-irradiation conditions, and the results are compared with metallography observations of ruptured claddings. The cladding rupture occurred by a shear sliding which starts from the tip of incipient crack generated in the hydride dense layer. The analyses reveal that the onset of shear sliding leading to cladding rupture can be closely associated with the stress intensity factor KI at the crack tip and local plastic strain evolution around the tip as well, and that these two factors depend also on the temperature of cladding. Simulation calculations on the basis of experimental conditions reveals that the cladding stress is dependent on the height and half-width of pulse power, and for the same integral enthalpy of pulse a larger half-width mitigates the severity of transient and decreases KI to allow plastic strain by temperature rise, thus failure possibility would be markedly decreased

  3. The effects of fission gas release on PWR fuel rod design and performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leech, W.J.; Kaiser, R.S.

    1980-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of fission gas release on PWR fuel rod design and performance. Empirical models were developed from fission gas release data. Fission gas release during normal operation is a function of burnup. There is little additional fission gas release during anticipated transients. The empirical models were used to evaluate Westinghouse fuel rod designs. It was determined that fission gas release is not a limiting parameter for obtaining rod average burnups in the range of 50,000 to 60,000 MWD/MTU. Fission gas release during anticipated transients has a negligible effect on the margins to rod design limits. (author)

  4. UO2 fuel behaviour at rod burn-ups up to 105 MWd/kgHM. A review of 10 years of high burn-up examinations commissioned by AREVA NP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goll, W.; Hoffmann, P.B.; Hellwig, C.; Sauser, W.; Spino, J.; Walker, C.T.

    2007-01-01

    Irradiation experience gained on fuel rods with burn-ups greater than 60 MWd/kgHM irradiated in the Nuclear Power Plant Goesgen, Switzerland, is described. Emphasis is placed on the fuel behaviour, which has been analysed by hot cell examinations at the Institute for Transuranium Elements and the Paul-Scherrer-Institute. Above 60 MWd/kgHM, the so-called high burn-up structure (HBS) forms and the fission gas release increases with burn-up and rod power. Examinations performed in the outer region of the fuel revealed that most if not all of the fission gas created was retained in the HBS, even at 25% porosity. Furthermore, the HBS has a relatively low swelling rate, greatly increased plasticity, and its thermal conductivity is higher than expected from the porosity. The post-irradiation examinations showed that the HBS has no detrimental effects on the performance of stationary irradiated PWR fuel irradiated to the high burn-ups that can be achieved with 5 wt% U-235 enrichment. On the contrary, the HBS results in fuel performance that is generally better than it would have been if the HBS had not formed. (orig.)

  5. Estimation of PWR spent fuel composition using SCALE and SWAT code systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hee Sung [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Kenya, Suyama; Hiroshi, Okuno [Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokyo (Japan)

    2001-05-01

    The isotopic composition calculations were performed for 26 spent fuel samples from Obrigheim PWR reactor and 55 spent fuel samples from 7 PWR reactors using SCALE4.4 SAS2H with 27, 44 and 238 group cross-section libraries and SWAT with 107 group cross-section library. For convenience, the ratio of the measured to calculated value was used as a parameter. The four kinds of the calculation results were compared with the measured data. For many important nuclides for burnup credit criticality safety evaluation, the four methods applied in this study showed good coincidence with measurements in general. More precise observations showed the following results. Less unity ratios were found for Pu-239 and -241 for selected 16 samples out of the 26 samples from Obrigheim reactor. Larger than unity ratios were found for Am-241 for both the 16 and 55 samples. Larger than unity ratios were found for Sm-149 for the 55 samples. In the case of 26 sample SWAT was generally accompanied by larger ratios than those of SAS2H with some exceptions. Based on the measured-to-calculated ratios for 71 samples of a combined set in which 16 selected samples and 55 samples were included, the correction factors that should be multiplied to the calculated isotopic compositions were generated for a conservative estimate of the neutron multiplication factor of a system containing PWR spent fuel, taking burnup credit into account.

  6. Burnup calculation with estimated neutron spectrum of JMTR irradiation field. Development of the burnup calculation method for fuel pre-irradiated in the JMTR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okonogi, Kazunari; Nakamura, Takehiko; Yoshinaga, Makio; Hosoyamada, Ryuji

    1999-03-01

    As a series of the pulse irradiation tests with the irradiated fuel, the high-enriched fuel rods pre-irradiated in the JMTR as well as the fuels irradiated in commercial reactors have been irradiated in the NSRR. In the pre-irradiation at the JMTR, the test fuels were placed at the irradiation holes in the reflector region far from the driver core to keep the linear heat generation rate of the test fuel low. Accordingly, neutron energy spectra of the irradiation holes for the test fuels are softened due to the higher moderator ratio than in those of the ordinary LWR core, which causes quite different burnup characteristics. JMTR post irradiation condition corresponds to the pre-test condition in the NSRR. Therefore, proper understanding of the condition is quite important for the precise evaluating the energy deposition and FP generation in the test. Then, neutron spectra at the JMTR irradiation field were evaluated and its effects on the burnup calculation were quantified. Basing on the configuration of the JMTR core in the operation cycle No.85, neutron diffusion calculations of 107 groups were executed in 2-D slab (X-Y) geometry of CITATION of SRAC95 code system, and neutron energy spectra of the irradiation hole for the test fuels were evaluated. Burnup calculations of Test JMN-1 fuel with the estimated neutron energy spectra were performed and the results were compared to both the measurements and calculation results with the PWR and BWR libraries in ORIGEN2 code. SWAT code was used to collapse the 107 groups spectra into 1 group libraries for the ORIGEN2 use. The calculation results for both the generation and depletion of U, Pu and Nd with the JMTR libraries obtained in the present study were in the reasonably good agreement with the measurements, while in the case of calculation with the PWR and BWR libraries in ORIGEN2, the generation of fission products having mass numbers from 105 to 130 and some actinides were overestimated by about 1.5 to 3.5 times

  7. A comprehensive in-pile test of PWR fuel bundle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kang Rixin; Zhang Shucheng; Chen Dianshan (Academia Sinica, Beijing (China). Inst. of Atomic Energy)

    1991-02-01

    An in-pile test of PWR fuel bundle has been conducted in HWRR at IAE of China. This paper describes the structure of the test bundle (3x3-2), fabrication process and quality control of the fuel rod, irradiation conditions and the main Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) results. The test fuel bundle was irradiated under the PWR operation and water chemistry conditions with an average linear power of 381 W/cm and reached an average burnup of 25010 MWd/tU of the fuel bundle. After the test, destructive and non-destructive examination of the fuel rods was conducted at hot laboratories. The fission gas release was 10.4-23%. The ridge height of cladding was 3 to 8 {mu}m. The hydrogen content of the cladding was 80 to 140 ppm. The fuel stack height was increased by 2.9 to 3.3 mm. The relative irradiation growth was about 0.11 to 0.17% of the fuel rod length. During the irradiation test, no fuel rod failure or other abnormal phenomena had been found by the on-line fuel failure monitoring system of the test loop and water sampling analysis. The structure of the test fuel assembly was left undamaged without twist and detectable deformation. (orig.).

  8. Long-Term Dry Storage of High Burn-Up Spent Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Fuel in TAD (Transportation, Aging, and Disposal) Containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Yong Soo

    2008-12-01

    A TAD canister, in conjunction with specially-designed over-packs can accomplish the functions of transportation, aging, and disposal (TAD) in the management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Industrial dry cask systems currently available for SNF are licensed for storage-only or for dual-purpose (i.e., storage and transportation). By extending the function to include the indefinite storage and perhaps, eventual geologic disposal, the TAD canister would have to be designed to enhance, among others, corrosion resistance, thermal stability, and criticality-safety control. This investigative paper introduces the use of these advanced iron-based, corrosion-resistant materials for SNF transportation, aging, and disposal.The objective of this investigative project is to explore the interest that KAERI would research and develop its specific SAM coating materials for the TAD canisters to satisfy the requirements of corrosion-resistance, thermal stability, and criticality-controls for long-term dry storage of high burn-up spent PWR fuel

  9. VANTAGE 5 PWR fuel assembly demonstration program at Virgil C. Summer nuclear station

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warner, D.C.; Orr, W.L.

    1985-01-01

    VANTAGE 5 is an improved PWR fuel product designed and manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The VANTAGE 5 fuel design features integral fuel burnable absorbers, intermediate flow mixer grids, axial blankets, high burnup capability, and a reconstitutable top nozzle. A demonstration program for this fuel design commenced in late 1984 in cycle 2 of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station. Objectives for VANTAGE 5 fuel are reduced fuel cycle costs, better core operating margins, and increased design and operating flexibility. Inspections of the VANTAGE 5 demonstration assemblies are planned at each refueling outage

  10. Assessment of the insertion of reprocessed fuel spiked with thorium in a PWR core

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castro, Victor F.; Monteiro, Fabiana B.A.; Pereira, Claubia, E-mail: victorfc@fis.grad.ufmg.br, E-mail: claubia@nuclear.ufmg.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

    2017-07-01

    Reprocessed fuel by UREX+ technique and spiked with thorium was inserted in a PWR core and neutronic parameters have been analyzed. Based on the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) of the Angra-2 reactor, the core was modeled and simulated with SCALE6.0 package. The neutronic data evaluation was carried out by the analysis of the effective and infinite multiplication factors, and the fuel evolution during the burnup. The conversion ratio (CR) was also evaluated. The results show that, when inserting reprocessed fuel spiked with thorium, the insertion of burnable poison rods is not necessary, due to the amount of absorber isotopes present in the fuel. Besides, the conversion ratio obtained was greater than the presented by standard UO{sub 2} fuel, indicating the possibility of extending the burnup. (author)

  11. Influence of FIMA burnup on actinides concentrations in PWR reactors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oettingen Mikołaj

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In the paper we present the study on the dependence of actinides concentrations in the spent nuclear fuel on FIMA burnup. The concentrations of uranium, plutonium, americium and curium isotopes obtained in numerical simulation are compared with the result of the post irradiation assay of two spent fuel samples. The samples were cut from the fuel rod irradiated during two reactor cycles in the Japanese Ohi-2 Pressurized Water Reactor. The performed comparative analysis assesses the reliability of the developed numerical set-up, especially in terms of the system normalization to the measured FIMA burnup. The numerical simulations were preformed using the burnup and radiation transport mode of the Monte Carlo Continuous Energy Burnup Code – MCB, developed at the Department of Nuclear Energy, Faculty of Energy and Fuels of AGH University of Science and Technology.

  12. Phenomena and parameters important to burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parks, C.V.; Dehart, M.D.; Wagner, J.C.

    2001-01-01

    Since the mid-1980s, a significant number of studies have been directed at understanding the phenomena and parameters important to implementation of burnup credit in out-of-reactor applications involving pressurized-water- reactor (PWR) spent fuel. The efforts directed at burnup credit involving boiling-water-reactor (BWR) spent fuel have been more limited. This paper reviews the knowledge and experience gained from work performed in the United States and other countries in the study of burnup credit. Relevant physics and analysis phenomenon are identified, and an assessment of their importance to burnup credit implementation for transport and dry cask storage is given. (author)

  13. PWR and BWR spent fuel assembly gamma spectra measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vaccaro, S. [European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Tobin, S.J.; Favalli, A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Grogan, B. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Jansson, P. [Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden); Liljenfeldt, H. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Mozin, V. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Hu, J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge (United States); Schwalbach, P. [European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards Luxembourg (Luxembourg); Sjöland, A. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) (Sweden); Trellue, H.; Vo, D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2016-10-11

    A project to research the application of nondestructive assay (NDA) to spent fuel assemblies is underway. The research team comprises the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), embodied by the European Commission, DG Energy, Directorate EURATOM Safeguards; the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB); two universities; and several United States national laboratories. The Next Generation of Safeguards Initiative–Spent Fuel project team is working to achieve the following technical goals more easily and efficiently than in the past using nondestructive assay measurements of spent fuel assemblies: (1) verify the initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration; (2) detect the diversion or replacement of pins, (3) estimate the plutonium mass, (4) estimate the decay heat, and (5) determine the reactivity of spent fuel assemblies. This study focuses on spectrally resolved gamma-ray measurements performed on a diverse set of 50 assemblies [25 pressurized water reactor (PWR) assemblies and 25 boiling water reactor (BWR) assemblies]; these same 50 assemblies will be measured with neutron-based NDA instruments and a full-length calorimeter. Given that encapsulation/repository and dry storage safeguards are the primarily intended applications, the analysis focused on the dominant gamma-ray lines of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 154}Eu, and {sup 134}Cs because these isotopes will be the primary gamma-ray emitters during the time frames of interest to these applications. This study addresses the impact on the measured passive gamma-ray signals due to the following factors: burnup, initial enrichment, cooling time, assembly type (eight different PWR and six different BWR fuel designs), presence of gadolinium rods, and anomalies in operating history. To compare the measured results with theory, a limited number of ORIGEN-ARP simulations were performed.

  14. Construction and utilization of linear empirical core models for PWR in-core fuel management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okafor, K.C.

    1988-01-01

    An empirical core-model construction procedure for pressurized water reactor (PWR) in-core fuel management is developed that allows determining the optimal BOC k ∞ profiles in PWRs as a single linear-programming problem and thus facilitates the overall optimization process for in-core fuel management due to algorithmic simplification and reduction in computation time. The optimal profile is defined as one that maximizes cycle burnup. The model construction scheme treats the fuel-assembly power fractions, burnup, and leakage as state variables and BOC zone enrichments as control variables. The core model consists of linear correlations between the state and control variables that describe fuel-assembly behavior in time and space. These correlations are obtained through time-dependent two-dimensional core simulations. The core model incorporates the effects of composition changes in all the enrichment control zones on a given fuel assembly and is valid at all times during the cycle for a given range of control variables. No assumption is made on the geometry of the control zones. A scatter-composition distribution, as well as annular, can be considered for model construction. The application of the methodology to a typical PWR core indicates good agreement between the model and exact simulation results

  15. Determination of burnup in irradiated nuclear fuels by the method of stable 148Nd fission products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Souza Sarkis, J.E. de.

    1982-01-01

    A method is described for the isotopic analysis and determination of burnup in irradiated nuclear fuel by mass spectrometric technique. The burnup is calculed from the determination of the concentration of uranium, plutonium and the fission product 148 Nd in the samples of UO 2 irradiated fuel from a P.W.R. type reactor. The method involves the separation of fractions of uranium, plutonium and neodimium from the dissolved irradiated fuel by ion exchange technique. The determination of uranium, plutonium and the fission product 148 Nd is carried out by isotope diluition mass spectrometry technique using as isotope tracers the nuclides 233 U, 242 Pu and 150 Nd. For the chemical processing and handling of the irradiated sample a Hot Chemistry Laboratory was mounted. It consists of glove boxes and equipments for radiation monitoring and protection. The results obtained indicate an atom percent burnup of 2.181 + - 0.035% wich corresponds an 20.937 + - 0.739 Gwd/ton of thermal energy produced. (Author) [pt

  16. A new uncertainty reduction method for PWR cores with erbia bearing fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, Toshikazu; Sano, Tadafumi; Kitada, Takanori; Kuroishi, Takeshi; Yamasaki, Masatoshi; Unesaki, Hironobu

    2008-01-01

    The concept of a PWR with erbia bearing high burnup fuel has been proposed. The erbia is added to all fuel with over 5% 235 U enrichment to retain the neutronics characteristics to that within 5% 235 U enrichment. There is a problem of the prediction accuracy of the neutronics characteristics with erbia bearing fuel because of the short of experimental data of erbia bearing fuel. The purpose of the present work is to reduce the uncertainty. A new method has been proposed by combining the bias factor method and the cross section adjustment method. For the PWR core, the uncertainty reduction, which shows the rate of reduction of uncertainty, of the k eff is 0.865 by the present method and 0.801 by the conventional bias factor method. Thus the prediction uncertainties are reduced by the present method compared to the bias factor method. (authors)

  17. Increased burnup of fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahlf, J.

    1983-01-01

    The specialists' group for fuel elements of the Kerntechnische Gesellschaft e.V. held a meeting on ''Increased Burnup of Fuel Elements'' on 9th and 10th of November 1982 at the GKSS Research Center Geesthacht. Most papers dealt with the problems of burnup increase of fuel elements for light water reactors with respect to fuel manufacturing, power plant operation and reprocessing. Review papers were given on the burnup limits for high temperature gas cooled reactors and sodium fast breeder reactors. The meeting ended with a presentation of the technical equipment of the hot laboratory of the GKSS and the programs which are in progress there. (orig.) [de

  18. The verification of PWR-fuel code for PWR in-core fuel management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Surian Pinem; Tagor M Sembiring; Tukiran

    2015-01-01

    In-core fuel management for PWR is not easy because of the number of fuel assemblies in the core as much as 192 assemblies so many possibilities for placement of the fuel in the core. Configuration of fuel assemblies in the core must be precise and accurate so that the reactor operates safely and economically. It is necessary for verification of PWR-FUEL code that will be used in-core fuel management for PWR. PWR-FUEL code based on neutron transport theory and solved with the approach of multi-dimensional nodal diffusion method many groups and diffusion finite difference method (FDM). The goal is to check whether the program works fine, especially for the design and in-core fuel management for PWR. Verification is done with equilibrium core search model at three conditions that boron free, 1000 ppm boron concentration and critical boron concentration. The result of the average burn up fuel assemblies distribution and power distribution at BOC and EOC showed a consistent trend where the fuel with high power at BOC will produce a high burn up in the EOC. On the core without boron is obtained a high multiplication factor because absence of boron in the core and the effect of fission products on the core around 3.8 %. Reactivity effect at 1000 ppm boron solution of BOC and EOC is 6.44 % and 1.703 % respectively. Distribution neutron flux and power density using NODAL and FDM methods have the same result. The results show that the verification PWR-FUEL code work properly, especially for core design and in-core fuel management for PWR. (author)

  19. Increased fuel burn-up and fuel cycle equilibrium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debes, M.

    2001-01-01

    Improvement of nuclear competitiveness will rely mainly on increased fuel performance, with higher burn-up, and reactors sustained life. Regarding spent fuel management, the EDF current policy relies on UO 2 fuel reprocessing (around 850 MTHM/year at La Hague) and MOX recycling to ensure plutonium flux adequacy (around 100 MTHM/year, with an electricity production equivalent to 30 TWh). This policy enables to reuse fuel material, while maintaining global kWh economy with existing facilities. It goes along with current perspective to increase fuel burn-up up to 57 GWday/t mean in 2010. The following presentation describes the consequences of higher fuel burn-up on fuel cycle and waste management and implementation of a long term and global equilibrium for decades in spent fuel management resulting from this strategy. (author)

  20. Validation of SCALE-4 for burnup credit applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowman, S.M.; DeHart, M.D.; Parks, C.V.

    1995-01-01

    In the past, a criticality analysis of PWR fuel stored in racks and casks has assumed that the fuel is fresh with the maximum allowable initial enrichment. If credit is allowed for fuel burnup in the design of casks that are used in the transport of spent light water reactor fuel to a repository, the increase in payload can lead to a significant reduction in the cost of transport and a potential reduction in the risk to the public. A portion of the work has been performed at ORNL in support of the US DOE efforts to demonstrate a validation approach for criticality safety methods to be used in burnup credit cask design. To date, the SCALE code system developed at ORNL has been the primary computational tool used by DOE to investigate technical issues related to burnup credit. The ANSI/ANS-8.1 criticality safety standard requires validation and benchmarking of the calculational methods used in evaluating criticality safety limits for applications outside reactors by correlation against critical experiments that are applicable. Numerous critical experiments for fresh PWR-type fuel in storage and transport configurations exist and can be used as part of a validation database. However, there are no critical experiments with burned PWR-type fuel in storage and transport configurations. As an alternative, commercial reactors offer an excellent source of measured critical configurations. The results reported demonstrate the ability of the ORNL SCALE-4 methodology to predict a value of k eff very close to the known value of 1.0, both for fresh fuel criticals and for the more complex reactor criticals. Beyond these results, additional work in the determination of biases and uncertainties is necessary prior to use in burnup credit applications

  1. Generation of SCALE 6 Input Data File for Cross Section Library of PWR Spent Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Chang Joon; Cho, Dong Keun

    2010-11-01

    In order to obtain the cross section libraries of the Korean Pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel (SF), SCALE 6 code input files have been generated. The PWR fuel data were obtained from the nuclear design report (NDR) of the current operating PWRs. The input file were prepared for 16 fuel types such as 4 types of Westinghouse 14x14, 3 types of OPR-1000 16x16, 4 types of Westinghouse 16x16, and 6 types of Westinghouse 17x17. For each fuel type, 5 kinds of fuel enrichments have been considered such as 1.5, 2.0 ,3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 wt%. In the SCALE 6 calculation, a ENDF-V 44 group was used. The 25 burnup step until 72000 MWD/T was used. A 1/4 symmetry model was used for 16x16 and 17x17 fuel assembly, and 1/2 symmetry model was used for 14x14 fuel assembly The generated cross section libraries will be used for the source-term analysis of the PWR SF

  2. Pu-rich MOX agglomerate-by-agglomerate model for fuel pellet burnup analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, G.S.

    2004-01-01

    In support of potential licensing of the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel made from weapons-grade (WG) plutonium and depleted uranium for use in United States reactors, an experiment containing WG-MOX fuel is being irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The WG-MOX comprises five percent PuO 2 and 95% depleted UO 2 . Based on the Post Irradiation Examination (PIE) observation, the volume fraction (VF) of MOX agglomerates in the fuel pellet is about 16.67%, and PuO 2 concentration of 30.0 = (5 / 16.67 x 100) wt% in the agglomerate. A pressurized water reactor (PWR) unit WG-MOX lattice with Agglomerate-by-Agglomerate Fuel (AbAF) modeling has been developed. The effect of the irregular agglomerate distribution can be addressed through the use of the Monte Carlo AbAF model. The AbAF-calculated cumulative ratio of Agglomerate burnup to U-MAtrix burnup (AG/MA) is 9.17 at the beginning of life, and decreases to 2.88 at 50 GWd/t. The MCNP-AbAF-calculated results can be used to adjust the parameters in the MOX fuel fission gas release modeling. (author)

  3. Siemens Nuclear Power Corporation experience with BWR and PWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reparaz, A.; Smith, M.H.; Stephens, L.G.

    1992-01-01

    The large data base of fuel performance parameters available to Siemens Nuclear Power Corporation (SNP), and the excellent track record of innovation and fuel reliability accumulated over the last twenty-three years, allows SNP to have a clear insight on the characteristics of future developments in the area of fuel design. Following is a description of some of SNP's recent design innovations to prevent failures and to extend burnup capabilities. A goal paramount to the design and manufacture of BWR and PWR fuel is that of zero defects from any case during its operation in the reactor. Progress has already been made in achieving this goal. This paper summarized the cumulative failure rate of SNP fuel rod through January 1992

  4. Analysis of burnup of Angra 2 PWR nuclear with addition of thorium dioxide fuel using ORIGEN-ARP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goncalves, Isadora C.; Wichrowski, Caio C.; Oliveira, Claudio L. de; Vellozo, Sergio O.; Baptista, Camila O., E-mail: isadora.goncalves@ime.eb.br, E-mail: wichrowski@ime.eb.br, E-mail: d7luiz@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: vellozo@ime.eb.br, E-mail: camila.oliv.baptista@gmail.com [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Secao de Engenharia Nuclear

    2017-11-01

    It is known that isotope {sup 232}thorium is a fertile nuclide with the ability to convert into {sup 233}uranium, a potentially fissile isotope, after absorbing a neutron. As there is a large stock of available thorium in the world, this element shows great promise in mitigate the world energy crisis, more particularly in the problem of uranium scarcity, besides being an alternative nuclear fuel for those currently used in reactors, and yet presenting advantages as an option for the non-proliferation movement, among others. In this study, the analysis of the remaining nuclides of burnup was carried out for the core configuration of a PWR (pressurized water reactor) reactor, specifically the Angra 2 reactor, using only uranium dioxide, its current configuration, and in different configurations including a mixed oxide of uranium and thorium in three concentrations, allowing a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of the modification of the fuel, the resulting production of {sup 233}uranium, the emergence of {sup 231}protactinium (an isotope that only occurs as a fission product of {sup 232}Th) resulting from burning. The study was carried out using data obtained from FSAR (Final Safety Analysis Report) of Angra 2, using the SCALE 6.1, a modeling and simulation nuclear code, especially its ORIGEN-ARP module, which analyzes the depletion of isotopes presents in a reactor. (author)

  5. Analysis of burnup of Angra 2 PWR nuclear with addition of thorium dioxide fuel using ORIGEN-ARP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goncalves, Isadora C.; Wichrowski, Caio C.; Oliveira, Claudio L. de; Vellozo, Sergio O.; Baptista, Camila O.

    2017-01-01

    It is known that isotope "2"3"2thorium is a fertile nuclide with the ability to convert into "2"3"3uranium, a potentially fissile isotope, after absorbing a neutron. As there is a large stock of available thorium in the world, this element shows great promise in mitigate the world energy crisis, more particularly in the problem of uranium scarcity, besides being an alternative nuclear fuel for those currently used in reactors, and yet presenting advantages as an option for the non-proliferation movement, among others. In this study, the analysis of the remaining nuclides of burnup was carried out for the core configuration of a PWR (pressurized water reactor) reactor, specifically the Angra 2 reactor, using only uranium dioxide, its current configuration, and in different configurations including a mixed oxide of uranium and thorium in three concentrations, allowing a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of the modification of the fuel, the resulting production of "2"3"3uranium, the emergence of "2"3"1protactinium (an isotope that only occurs as a fission product of "2"3"2Th) resulting from burning. The study was carried out using data obtained from FSAR (Final Safety Analysis Report) of Angra 2, using the SCALE 6.1, a modeling and simulation nuclear code, especially its ORIGEN-ARP module, which analyzes the depletion of isotopes presents in a reactor. (author)

  6. M5TM alloy high burnup behavior and worldwide licensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mardon, J.P.; Hoffmann, P.B.; Garner, G.L.

    2005-01-01

    The in-reactor behavior of advanced PWR Zirconium alloys at burnups equal to or below licensing limits has been widely reported. Specifically, the advanced alloy M5 has demonstrated impressive improvements over Zircaloy-4 for fuel rod cladding and fuel assembly structural components. To demonstrate superiority of the alloy at burnups beyond current licensing limits, M5 has been operated in PWR at burnups exceeding 71 GWd/tU in the United States and 78 GWd/tU in Europe. Two extensive irradiation programs have been performed in the United States to demonstrate alloy M5 performance beyond current licensing limits. Four M5 TM fuel rods were exposed to four 24-month cycles in a 15x15 reactor beginning in 1995. Additionally, one 17x17 lead assembly containing M5 fuel rods and guide tubes was operated for four 18-month cycles beginning from 1997. Post-irradiation examinations (PIE) performed after all four cycles in the 15x15 demonstration program revealed excellent performance in the licensed burnup and in the high burnup stages of the experience. Examination of the 4th cycle 17x17 assembly will be accomplished in two stages the first of which is scheduled for June 2005. Moreover, several irradiation campaigns have been performed in Europe in order to confirm the excellent M5 in-pile behavior in demanding PWRs irradiation conditions with regard to void fraction, heat flux, lithium content and temperature. Results from the high burnup fuel examinations verify that the excellent performance achieved up to 62 GWd/tU was continued into higher burnup. The results of high burnup PIE campaigns for European and American PWR's are presented in this paper. Measured performance indicators include fuel assembly dimensional stability parameters (assembly length, fuel rod length, assembly bow, fuel rod bow, fuel rod radial creep and spacer grid width), oxidation measurements (fuel rod and guide tube) and hydrogen pick-up data (fuel rod). In the framework of PCI studies, power ramp

  7. Technological and licensing challenges for high burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gross, H.; Urban, P.; Fenzlein, C.

    2002-01-01

    Deregulation of electricity markets is driving electricity prices downward as well in the U.S. as in Europe. As a consequence high burnup fuel will be demanded by utilities using either the storage or the reprocessing option. At a minimum, burnups consistent with the current political enrichment limit of 5 w/o will be required for both markets.Significant progress has been achieved in the past by Siemens in meeting the demands of utilities for increased fuel burnup. The technological challenges posed by the increased burnup are mainly related to the corrosion and hydrogen pickup of the clad, the high burnup properties of the fuel and the dimensional changes of the fuel assembly structure. Clad materials with increased corrosion resistance appropriate for high burnup have been developed. The high burnup behaviour of the fuel has been extensively investigated and the decrease of thermal conductivity with burnup, the rim effect of the pellet and the increase of fission gas release with burnup can be described, with good accuracy, in fuel rod computer codes. Advanced statistical design methods have been developed and introduced. Materials with increased corrosion resistance are also helpful controlling the dimensional changes of the fuel assembly structure. In summary, most of the questions about the fuel operational behaviour and reliability in the high burnup range have been solved - some of them are still in the process of verification - or the solutions are visible. This fact is largely acknowledged by regulators too. The main licensing challenges for high burnup fuel are currently seen for accident condition analyses, especially for RIA and LOCA. (author)

  8. Reactivity and neutron emission measurements of burnt PWR fuel rod samples in LWR-PROTEUS phase II

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murphy, M. F.; Jatuff, F.; Grimm, P.; Seiler, R.; Brogli, R.; Meier, G.; Berger, H. D.; Chawla, R.

    2004-01-01

    Measurements have been made of the reactivity effects and the neutron emission rates of uranium oxide and mixed oxide burnt fuel samples having a wide range of burnup values and coming from a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR). The reactivity measurements have been made in a PWR lattice moderated in turn with: water, a water and heavy water mixture, and water containing boron. An interesting relationship has been found between the neutron emission rate and the measured reactivity. (authors)

  9. Composition and Distribution of Tramp Uranium Contamination on BWR and PWR Fuel Rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schienbein, Marcel; Zeh, Peter; Hurtado, Antonio; Rosskamp, Matthias; Mailand, Irene; Bolz, Michael

    2012-09-01

    In a joint research project of VGB and AREVA NP GmbH the behaviour of alpha nuclides in nuclear power plants with light water reactors has been investigated. Understanding the source and the behaviour of alpha nuclides is of big importance for planning radiation protection measures for outages and upcoming dismantling projects. Previous publications have shown the correlation between plant specific alpha contamination of the core and the so called 'tramp fuel' or 'tramp uranium' level which is linked to the defect history of fuel assemblies and accordingly the amount of previously washed out fuel from defective fuel rods. The methodology of tramp fuel estimation is based on fission product concentrations in reactor coolant but also needs a good knowledge of tramp fuel composition and in-core distribution on the outer surface of fuel rods itself. Sampling campaigns of CRUD deposits of irradiated fuel assemblies in different NPPs were performed. CRUD analyses including nuclide specific alpha analysis have shown systematic differences between BWR and PWR plants. Those data combined with literature results of fuel pellet investigations led to model improvements showing that a main part of fission products is caused by fission of Pu-239 an activation product of U-238. CRUD investigations also gave a better picture of the in-core composition and distribution of the tramp uranium contamination. It was shown that the tramp uranium distribution in PWR plants is time dependent. Even new fuel assemblies will be notably contaminated after only one cycle of operation. For PWR applies the following logic: the higher the local power the higher the contamination. With increasing burnup the local rod power usually decreases leading to decreasing tramp uranium contamination on the fuel rod surface. This is not applicable for tramp uranium contamination in BWR. CRUD contamination (including the tramp fuel deposits) is much more fixed and is constantly increasing

  10. Fuel rod D07/B15 from Ringhals 2 PWR: Source material for corrosion/leach tests in groundwater. Fuel rod/pellet characterization program. Pt. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, R.

    1987-03-01

    A joint SKB/STUDSVIK experimental program to determine the corrosion rates and to establish the corrosion mechanisms of spent UO 2 fuel in groundwater under both oxidizing and reducing conditions is in progress in the Hot Cell Laboratory of Studsvik Energiteknik AB. High burnup fuel of both BWR and PWR type are studied. Characterization of the spent fuel at both rod and pellet level is an important part of the experimental program. Experiments on PWR fuel have been concentrated so far on specimens from one rod, manufacturer's number 03688, which had occupied position B15 in assembly D07. This assembly had been irradiated for 5 cycles in the Ringhals 2 reactor between 1977 and 1983. The calculated assembly burnup was 41.3 MWd/kg U. The present report is a collection of separate reports describing those items in the characterization program which have been performed so far. No overall summary of the experimental results is given here, and the report should be viewed as a collection of reference data. (orig.)

  11. OECD/NEA burnup credit criticality benchmarks phase IIIB: Burnup calculations of BWR fuel assemblies for storage and transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okuno, Hiroshi; Naito, Yoshitaka; Suyama, Kenya

    2002-02-01

    The report describes the final results of the Phase IIIB Benchmark conducted by the Expert Group on Burnup Credit Criticality Safety under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Benchmark was intended to compare the predictability of current computer code and data library combinations for the atomic number densities of an irradiated PWR fuel assembly model. The fuel assembly was irradiated under specific power of 25.6 MW/tHM up to 40 GWd/tHM and cooled for five years. The void fraction was assumed to be uniform throughout the channel box and constant, at 0, 40 and 70%, during burnup. In total, 16 results were submitted from 13 institutes of 7 countries. The calculated atomic number densities of 12 actinides and 20 fission product nuclides were found to be for the most part within a range of ±10% relative to the average, although some results, esp. 155 Eu and gadolinium isotopes, exceeded the band, which will require further investigation. Pin-wise burnup results agreed well among the participants. The results in the infinite neutron multiplication factor k ∞ also accorded well with each other for void fractions of 0 and 40%; however some results deviated from the averaged value noticeably for the void fraction of 70%. (author)

  12. OECD/NEA burnup credit criticality benchmarks phase IIIB. Burnup calculations of BWR fuel assemblies for storage and transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okuno, Hiroshi; Naito, Yoshitaka; Suyama, Kenya [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2002-02-01

    The report describes the final results of the Phase IIIB Benchmark conducted by the Expert Group on Burnup Credit Criticality Safety under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Benchmark was intended to compare the predictability of current computer code and data library combinations for the atomic number densities of an irradiated PWR fuel assembly model. The fuel assembly was irradiated under specific power of 25.6 MW/tHM up to 40 GWd/tHM and cooled for five years. The void fraction was assumed to be uniform throughout the channel box and constant, at 0, 40 and 70%, during burnup. In total, 16 results were submitted from 13 institutes of 7 countries. The calculated atomic number densities of 12 actinides and 20 fission product nuclides were found to be for the most part within a range of {+-}10% relative to the average, although some results, esp. {sup 155}Eu and gadolinium isotopes, exceeded the band, which will require further investigation. Pin-wise burnup results agreed well among the participants. The results in the infinite neutron multiplication factor k{sub {infinity}} also accorded well with each other for void fractions of 0 and 40%; however some results deviated from the averaged value noticeably for the void fraction of 70%. (author)

  13. Physical models for high burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanyukova, V.; Khoruzhii, O.; Likhanskii, V.; Solodovnikov, G.; Sorokin, A.

    2003-01-01

    In this paper some models of processes in high burnup fuel developed in Src of Russia Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research are presented. The emphasis is on the description of the degradation of the fuel heat conductivity, radial profiles of the burnup and the plutonium accumulation, restructuring of the pellet rim, mechanical pellet-cladding interaction. The results demonstrate the possibility of rather accurate description of the behaviour of the fuel of high burnup on the base of simplified models in frame of the fuel performance code if the models are physically ground. The development of such models requires the performance of the detailed physical analysis to serve as a test for a correct choice of allowable simplifications. This approach was applied in the SRC of Russia TRINITI to develop a set of models for the WWER fuel resulting in high reliability of predictions in simulation of the high burnup fuel

  14. Modeling of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the PWR fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mailhe, P.

    2014-01-01

    This article reviews the various physical phenomena that take place in an irradiated fuel rod and presents the development of the thermo-mechanical codes able to simulate them. Though technically simple the fuel rod is the place where appear 4 types of process: thermal, gas behaviour, mechanical and corrosion that combine involving 5 elements: the fuel pellet, the fuel clad, the fuel-clad gap, the inside volume and the coolant. For instance the pellet is the place where the following mechanical processes took place: thermal dilatation, elastic deformation, creep deformation, densification, solid swelling, gaseous swelling and cracking. The first industrial code simulating the behaviour of the fuel rod was COCCINEL, it was developed by AREVA teams from the American PAD code that was included in the Westinghouse license. Today the GALILEO code has replaced the COPERNIC code that was developed in the beginning of the 2000 years. GALILEO is a synthesis of the state of the art of the different models used in the codes validated for PWR and BWR. GALILEO has been validated on more than 1500 fuel rods concerning PWR, BWR and specific reactors like Siloe, Osiris, HFR, Halden, Studsvik, BR2/3,...) and also for extended burn-ups. (A.C.)

  15. Isotopic validation for PWR actinide-only burnup credit using Yankee Rowe data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1997-11-01

    Safety analyses of criticality control systems for transportation packages include an assumption that the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) loaded into the package is fresh or unirradiated. In other words, the spent fuel is assumed to have its original, as-manufactured U-235 isotopic content. The ''fresh fuel'' assumption is very conservative since the potential reactivity of the nuclear fuel is substantially reduced after being irradiated in the reactor core. The concept of taking credit for this reduction in nuclear fuel reactivity due to burnup of the fuel, instead of using the fresh fuel assumption in the criticality safety analysis, is referred to as ''Burnup Credit.'' Burnup credit uses the actual physical composition of the fuel and accounts for the net reduction of fissile material and the buildup of neutron absorbers in the fuel as it is irradiated. Neutron absorbers include actinides and other isotopes generated as a result of the fission process. Using only the change in actinide isotopes in the burnup credit criticality analysis is referred to as ''Actinide-Only Burnup Credit.'' The use of burnup credit in the design of criticality control systems enables more spent fuel to be placed in a package. Increased package capacity results in a reduced number of storage, shipping and disposal containers for a given number of SNF assemblies. Fewer shipments result in a lower risk of accidents associated with the handling and transportation of spent fuel, thus reducing both radiological and nonradiological risk to the public. This paper describes the modeling and the results of comparison between measured and calculated isotopic inventories for a selected number of samples taken from a Yankee Rowe spent fuel assembly

  16. Status of burnup credit implementation in Switzerland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimm, P.

    1998-01-01

    Burnup credit is currently not used for the storage of spent fuel in the reactor pools in Switzerland, but credit is taken for integral burnable absorbers. Interest exists to take credit of burnup in future for the storage in a central away-from-reactor facility presently under construction. For spent fuel transports to foreign reprocessing plants the regulations of the receiving countries must be applied in addition to the Swiss licensing criteria. Burnup credit has been applied by one Swiss PWR utility for such transports in a consistent manner with the licensing practice in the receiving countries. Measurements of reactivity worths of small spent fuel samples in a Swiss zero-power research reactor are at an early stage of planning. (author)

  17. Criticality calculations of a generic fuel container for fuel assemblies PWR, by means of the code MCNP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vargas E, S.; Esquivel E, J.; Ramirez S, J. R.

    2013-10-01

    The purpose of the concept of burned consideration (Burn-up credit) is determining the capacity of the calculation codes, as well as of the nuclear data associates to predict the isotopic composition and the corresponding neutrons effective multiplication factor in a generic container of spent fuel during some time of relevant storage. The present work has as objective determining this capacity of the calculation code MCNP in the prediction of the neutrons effective multiplication factor for a fuel assemblies arrangement type PWR inside a container of generic storage. The calculations are divided in two parts, the first, in the decay calculations with specified nuclide concentrations by the reference for a pressure water reactor (PWR) with enriched fuel to 4.5% and a discharge burned of 50 GW d/Mtu. The second, in criticality calculations with isotopic compositions dependent of the time for actinides and important fission products, taking 30 time steps, for two actinide groups and fission products. (Author)

  18. Study on the behavior of waterside corroded PWR fuel rods under reactivity initiated accident conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasajima, Hideo

    1989-06-01

    One of the highlighted problems from the fuel reliability point of view is a waterside corrosion of fuel cladding which becomes more significant at extended burnup stages. To date, at highly burned fuel, waterside corrosion was recognized as important because cladding oxidation increased with increasing burn-up. In experiments, as the basic research for the study of high burn-up fuel, the test fuel rods were prepressurized to ranges from 3.47 to 3.55 MPa, oxidized artificially to both 10 and 20 μm in thickness. Regarding fabricated oxide thickness of 10 μm, it is corresponded to be transition point from cubic law to linear law as a function of burn-up. Pulse irradiation experiments by NSRR were carried out to study the behavior of waterside corroded PWR type fuels under RIA conditions. Obtained results are: (1) The failure threshold of tested fuels was 110 cal/g·fuel (0.46 KJ/g·fuel) in enthalpy. This showed that the failure threshold of tested fuels was same as that of the past NSRR experimental data. (2) The failure mechanisms of the tested fuel rods was cladding rupture induced by ballooning. No differences in failure mechanisms existed between the past NSRR prepressurized standard fuel and the tested fuels. (3) Cracks were existed without propagating into cladding matrix, so that it was judged that these were not initiation of failure. (4) Whithin this experimental condition, reduction of cladding thickness being attributed to the increase of oxidation did not failure threshold. (author)

  19. PWR fuel inspection and repair technology development in the Republic of Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J.Y.

    1998-01-01

    As of September 1997, 10 PWRs and 2 PHWRs generate 10,320MW electricity in Korea. And another 8 PWRs and 2 PHWRs will be constructed by 2006. These will need about 400 MTU of PWR fuels and 400 MTU of PHWR fuels. To improve average burnup, thermal power, fuel usability and plant safety, better poolside fuel service technologies are strongly recommended as well as the fuel design and fabrication technology improvements. During the last twenty years of nuclear power plant operation in Korea, more than 4,000 fuel assemblies has been used. At the site, continuous coolant activity measurement, pool-side visual inspection and ultrasonic tests have been performed. Some of the fuels are damaged or failed for various reasons. Some of the defected fuels were examined in hot cell to investigate the cause of failure. Even though 30 PWR fuel assemblies were repaired by foreign engineers, fuel inspection and repair technologies are not established yet. Various kind of design for the fuel make the inspection, repair and reconstitution equipment more complex. As a result, recently, a plant to obtain overall technology for poolside fuel inspection, failed fuel repair and reconstitution through R and D activities are set forth. (author)

  20. Preparation of data relevant to ''Equivalent Uniform Burnup'' and Equivalent Initial Enrichment'' for burnup credit evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nomura, Yasushi; Okuno, Hiroshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Murazaki, Minoru [Tokyo Nuclear Service Inc., Tokyo (Japan)

    2001-11-01

    Based on the PWR spent fuel composition data measured at JAERI, two kinds of simplified methods such as ''Equivalent Uniform Burnup'' and ''Equivalent Initial Enrichment'' have been introduced. And relevant evaluation curves have been prepared for criticality safety evaluation of spent fuel storage pool and transport casks, taking burnup of spent fuel into consideration. These simplified methods can be used to obtain an effective neutron multiplication factor for a spent fuel storage/transportation system by using the ORIGEN2.1 burnup code and the KENO-Va criticality code without considering axial burnup profile in spent fuel and other various factors introducing calculated errors. ''Equivalent Uniform Burnup'' is set up for its criticality analysis to be reactivity equivalent with the detailed analysis, in which the experimentally obtained isotopic composition together with a typical axial burnup profile and various factors such as irradiation history are considered on the conservative side. On the other hand, Equivalent Initial Enrichment'' is set up for its criticality analysis to be reactivity equivalent with the detailed analysis such as above when it is used in the so called fresh fuel assumption. (author)

  1. A practical approach to burn-up credit use in package design approval for PWR uranium oxide spent fuel assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kroger, H.; Reiche, I.

    2009-01-01

    TN International has applied for a license for the TN 24 E transport and storage cask with the German competent authority using a new Burn-up Credit (BUC) approach for PWR uranium oxide fuel assemblies based on actinides and six selected fission products. In order to enable the use of BUC for fission products, various experimental data have to be provided for the two important aspects of the criticality calculation. Firstly, post-irradiation examination (PIE) experiments for the verification of the calculated fission product concentrations have to be provided for each selected fission product. These data are then used to validate the depletion calculations. Secondly, experimental data for the criticality calculations in the form of critical benchmark experiments have to be provided. The submitted data will be investigated for their applicability to the TN 24 E transport and storage cask. Since the application is limited to six fission products only, the conservatism of the BUC approach can be further justified, as the reduction in reactivity from the remaining fission products (about 190) is not taken credit for. (authors)

  2. Establishing a PWR burn-up library

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lutz, D.C.

    1981-01-01

    Starting out from data file ENDF/B IV /1/, a cross-section library has been established for the calculation of operating conditions in pressurized water reactors of the type used in BIBLIS B. The library includes macroscopic, homogenized 2-group cross-sections for all types of fuel elements used in this reactor, including those equipped with boron glass rods. For their calculation the previous irradiation of the fuel has been taken into consideration by approximation. Information on fuel consumption from cell burn-up calculations has been stored in a separate data file. It was designed as a base for the determination of cross sections to be used in the calculation of the incident ''main-steam pipe fracture''. For this library the description of cross sections as a function of the moderator status chose the water densities at 300 0 C/155 bar, 190 0 C/140 bar and 100 0 C/100 bar as fixed values. The burn-up library has been tested by a three-dimensional calculation for the 1sup(st) cycle of the BIBLIS B-reactor using program QUABOX /2/. This showed variances with the anticipated course concerning critically, which can be explained almost quantitatively by known deficiencies of the ENDF/b-IV library. (orig.) [de

  3. Measurement of the gap and grain boundary inventories of Cs, Sr and I in domestic used PWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, S. S.; Choi, J. W.; Seo, H. S.; Cho, W. J.; Kang, K. C.; Kwon, S. H.

    2007-01-01

    Inventories of soluble elements in the gap and grain boundaries of domestic used PWR fuel pellets were measured to estimate the quantities of radionuclides that are liable to be rapidly released into the groundwater of a disposal site. The gap inventory of cesium for the pellets in the used fuel with a burn-up range of 45 to 66 GWD/MTU showed 0.85 to 1.7% of its total inventory, which was close to 1/6 to 1/3 of the fission gas release fraction (FGRF). However, the amounts of cesium released from the gaps of the pellets below 40 GWD/MTU of a burn-up and less than 1% FGRF were so erratic that the gap inventory could not be defined by its FGRF. Strontium inventories in the gap and grain boundaries of the pellets in the same rod were not significantly varied, and the iodine inventory in the gap of the used PWR fuels was estimated to be less than or the same as the FGRF

  4. Improved and consistent determination of the nuclear inventory of spent PWR-fuel on the basis of time-dependent cell-calculations with KORIGEN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, U.; Wiese, H.W.

    1983-01-01

    For safe handling, processing and storage of spent nuclear fuel a reliable, experimentally validated method is needed to determine fuel and waste characteristics: composition, radioactivity, heat and radiation. For PWR's, a cell-burnup procedure has been developed which is able to calculate the inventory in consistency with cell geometry, initial enrichment, and reactor control. Routine calculations can be performed with KORIGEN using consistent cross-section sets - burnup-dependent and based on the latest Karlsruhe evaluations for actinides - which were calculated previously with the cell-burnup procedure. Extensive comparisons between calculations and experiments validate the presented procedure. For the use of the KORIGEN code the input description and sample problems are added. Improvements in the calculational method and in data are described, results from KORIGEN, ORIGEN and ORIGEN2 calculations are compared. Fuel and waste inventories are given for BIBLIS-type fuel of different burnup. (orig.) [de

  5. Nuclear fuel burn-up economy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matausek, M.

    1984-01-01

    In the period 1981-1985, for the needs of Utility Organization, Beograd, and with the support of the Scientific Council of SR Srbija, work has been performed on the study entitled 'Nuclear Fuel Burn-up Economy'. The forst [phase, completed during the year 1983 comprised: comparative analysis of commercial NPP from the standpoint of nuclear fuel requirements; development of methods for fuel burn-up analysis; specification of elements concerning the nuclear fuel for the tender documentation. The present paper gives the short description of the purpose, content and results achieved in the up-to-now work on the study. (author)

  6. Computational Benchmark for Estimation of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagner, J.C.

    2001-01-01

    This report proposes and documents a computational benchmark problem for the estimation of the additional reactivity margin available in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from fission products and minor actinides in a burnup-credit storage/transport environment, relative to SNF compositions containing only the major actinides. The benchmark problem/configuration is a generic burnup credit cask designed to hold 32 pressurized water reactor (PWR) assemblies. The purpose of this computational benchmark is to provide a reference configuration for the estimation of the additional reactivity margin, which is encouraged in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) guidance for partial burnup credit (ISG8), and document reference estimations of the additional reactivity margin as a function of initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time. Consequently, the geometry and material specifications are provided in sufficient detail to enable independent evaluations. Estimates of additional reactivity margin for this reference configuration may be compared to those of similar burnup-credit casks to provide an indication of the validity of design-specific estimates of fission-product margin. The reference solutions were generated with the SAS2H-depletion and CSAS25-criticality sequences of the SCALE 4.4a package. Although the SAS2H and CSAS25 sequences have been extensively validated elsewhere, the reference solutions are not directly or indirectly based on experimental results. Consequently, this computational benchmark cannot be used to satisfy the ANS 8.1 requirements for validation of calculational methods and is not intended to be used to establish biases for burnup credit analyses

  7. Findings of an international study on burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady, M.C.; Takano, M.; Okuno, H.; DeHart, M.D.; Nouri, A.

    1996-01-01

    Findings from a four year study by an international benchmarking group in the comparison of computational methods for evaluating burnup credit in criticality safety analyses are presented in this paper. Approximately 20 participants from 11 countries have provided results for most problems. Four detailed benchmark problems for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel have been completed and are summarized in this paper. Preliminary results from current work addressing burnup credit for Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) fuel will also be discussed as well as planned activities for additional benchmarks including Mixed-Oxide (MOX) fuels, subcritical benchmarks, international databases, and other activities

  8. An economic evaluation of a storage system for casks with burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mimura, Masahiro; Tsuda, Kazuaki; Yamada, Nobuyuki; O-iwa, Akio.

    1993-01-01

    It is generally recognized that casks designed with burnup credit are more economical than those without burnup credit. To estimate how much more economical they are, we made conceptual designs of transport/storage casks with and without burnup credit for PWR and BWR fuels of various uranium enrichment. The casks were designed to contain the maximum number of fuel assemblies under the necessary weight and dimensional limitations as well as the criticality and shielding criteria. The results showed that approximately 8 % to 44 % more fuel assemblies could be contained in casks with burnup credit. We then evaluated the economy of cask storage system incorporating the cask designs obtained above both with and without burnup credit. The results showed that the cost of storing casks with burnup credit is approximately 7 % to 30 % less expensive than storing casks without burnup credit. (J.P.N.)

  9. Review of high burn-up RIA and LOCA database and criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitanza, C.; Hrehor, M.

    2006-01-01

    This document is intended to provide regulators, their technical support organizations and industry with a concise review of existing fuel experimental data at RIA and LOCA conditions and considerations on how these data affect fuel safety criteria at increasing burn-up. It mostly addresses experimental results relevant to BWR and PWR fuel and it encompasses several contributions from the various experts that participated in the CSNI SEGFSM activities. It also covers the information presented at the joint CSNI/CNRA Topical Discussion on high burn-up fuel issues that took place on this subject in December 2004. The report is organized in the following way: the CABRI RIA database (14 tests), the NSRR database (26 tests) and other databases, RIA failure thresholds, comparison of failure thresholds for the HZP case, LOCA database ductility tests and quench tests, LOCA safety limit, provisional burn-up dependent criterion for Zr-4. The conclusions are as follows. On RIA, there is a well-established testing method and a significant and relatively consistent database from NSRR and Cabri tests, especially on high burn-up Zr-2 and Zr-4 cladding. It is encouraging that several correlations have been proposed for the RIA fuel failure threshold. Their predictions are compared and discussed in this paper for a representative PWR case. On LOCA, there are two different test methods, one based on ductility determinations and the other based on 'integral' quench tests. The LOCA database at high burn-up is limited to both testing methods. Ductility tests carried out with pre-hydrided non-irradiated cladding show a pronounced hydrogen effect. Data for actual high burn-up specimens are being gathered in various laboratories and will form the basis for a burn-up dependent LOCA limit. A provisional burn-up dependent criterion is discussed in the paper

  10. Fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up: analysis of reactivity coefficients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kryuchkov, E.F.; Shmelev, A.N.; Ternovykh, M.J.; Tikhomirov, G.V.; Jinhong, L.; Saito, M.

    2003-01-01

    Fuel cycles of light-water reactors (LWR) with high fuel burn-up (above 100 MWd/kg), as a rule, involve large amounts of fissionable materials. It leads to forming the neutron spectrum harder than that in traditional LWR. Change of neutron spectrum and significant amount of non-traditional isotopes (for example, 237 Np, 238 Pu, 231 Pa, 232 U) in such fuel compositions can alter substantially reactivity coefficients as compared with traditional uranium-based fuel. The present work addresses the fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up which are based on Th-Pa-U and U-Np-Pu fuel compositions. Numerical analyses are carried out to determine effective neutron multiplication factor and void reactivity coefficient (VRC) for different values of fuel burn-up and different lattice parameters. The algorithm is proposed for analysis of isotopes contribution to these coefficients. Various ways are considered to upgrade safety of nuclear fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up. So, the results obtained in this study have demonstrated that: -1) Non-traditional fuel compositions developed for achievement of high fuel burn-up in LWR can possess positive values of reactivity coefficients that is unacceptable from the reactor operation safety point of view; -2) The lattice pitch of traditional LWR is not optimal for non-traditional fuel compositions, the increased value of the lattice pitch leads to larger value of initial reactivity margin and provides negative VRC within sufficiently broad range of coolant density; -3) Fuel burn-up has an insignificant effect on VRC dependence on coolant density, so, the measures undertaken to suppress positive VRC of fresh fuel will be effective for partially burnt-up fuel compositions also and; -4) Increase of LWR core height and introduction of additional moderators into the fuel lattice can be used as the ways to reach negative VRC values for full range of possible coolant density variations

  11. Conceptual cask design with burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seong Hee; Ahn, Joon Gi; Hwang, Hae Ryong

    2003-01-01

    Conceptual design has been performed for a spent fuel transport cask with burnup credit and a neutron-absorbing material to maximize transportation capacity. Both fresh and burned fuel are assumed to be stored in the cask and boral and borated stainless steel are selected for the neutron-absorbing materials. Three different sizes of cask with typical 14, 21 and 52 PWR fuel assemblies are modeled and analyzed with the SCALE 4.4 code system. In this analysis, the biases and uncertainties through validation calculations for both isotopic predictions and criticality calculation for the spent fuel have been taken into account. All of the reactor operating parameters, such as moderator density, soluble boron concentration, fuel temperature, specific power, and operating history, have been selected in a conservative way for the criticality analysis. Two different burnup credit loading curves are developed for boral and borated stainless steel absorbing materials. It is concluded that the spent fuel transport cask design with burnup credit is feasible and is expected to increase cask payloads. (author)

  12. Development of MHI PWR fuel assembly with high thermal performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasushi Makino; Masaya Hoshi; Masaji Mori; Hidetoshi Kido; Kazuo Ikeda

    2005-01-01

    Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has been developing a PWR fuel assembly to meet the needs of Japanese fuel market with mainly improving its reliability such as a mechanical strength, a seismic strength and endurance. For burn-up extension of the fuel to 55 GWd/t, MHI has introduced a Zircaloy spacer grid with better neutron economics with retaining the reliability in an operating core. However, for a future power up-rating and a longer cycle operation, a higher thermal performance is required for PWR fuel assembly. To meet the needs of fuel market, MHI has developed an advanced type of Zircaloy spacer grid with a greater DNB performance while retaining the reliability of a fuel and a relatively low pressure drop. For the greater DNB performance, MHI optimized geometrical shape of mixing vane to promote a fluid mixing performance. In this report, higher DNB performance provided by the advanced Zircaloy spacer grid is presented. The results of 3D simulation for the flow behavior in 5 x 5 partial assembly, a mixing test and a water DNB test were compared between the current and the advanced spacer grids. Consequently, it was confirmed that a crossover vane enhanced a fluid mixing and the advanced spacer grid could significantly improve DNB performance compared with the current design of spacer grids. (authors)

  13. CEA contribution to power plant operation with high burnup level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1981-03-01

    High level burnup in PWR leads to investigate again the choices carried out in the field of fuel management. French CEA has studied the economic importance of reshuffling technique, cycle length, discharge burnup, and non-operation period between two cycles. Power plants operators wish to work with increased length cycles of 18 months instead of 12. That leads to control problems because the core reactivity cannot be controlled with the only soluble boron: moderator temperature coefficient must be negative. With such cycles, it is necessary to use burnable poisons and for economic reasons with a low penalty in end of cycle. CEA has studied the use of Gd 2 O 3 mixed with fuel or with inert element like Al 2 O 3 . Parametric studies of specific weights, efficacities relatively to the fuel burnup and the fuel enrichment have been carried out. Particular studies of 1 month cycles with Gd 2 O 3 have shown the possibility to control power distribution with a very low reactivity penalty in EOC. In the same time, in the 100 MW PWR-CAP, control reactivity has been made with large use of gadolinia in parallel with soluble boron for the two first cycles

  14. Evaluation of fission product worth margins in PWR spent nuclear fuel burnup credit calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blomquist, R.N.; Finck, P.J.; Jammes, C.; Stenberg, C.G.

    1999-01-01

    Current criticality safety calculations for the transportation of irradiated LWR fuel make the very conservative assumption that the fuel is fresh. This results in a very substantial overprediction of the actual k eff of the transportation casks; in certain cases, this decreases the amount of spent fuel which can be loaded in a cask, and increases the cost of transporting the spent fuel to the repository. Accounting for the change of reactivity due to fuel depletion is usually referred to as ''burnup credit.'' The US DOE is currently funding a program aimed at establishing an actinide only burnup credit methodology (in this case, the calculated reactivity takes into account the buildup or depletion of a limited number of actinides). This work is undergoing NRC review. While this methodology is being validated on a significant experimental basis, it implicitly relies on additional margins: in particular, the absorption of neutrons by certain actinides and by all fission products is not taken into account. This provides an important additional margin and helps guarantee that the methodology is conservative provided these neglected absorption are known with reasonable accuracy. This report establishes the accuracy of fission product absorption rate calculations: (1) the analysis of European fission product worth experiments demonstrates that fission product cross-sections available in the US provide very good predictions of fission product worth; (2) this is confirmed by a direct comparison of European and US cross section evaluations; (3) accuracy of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) fission product content predictions is established in a recent ORNL report where several SNF isotopic assays are analyzed; and (4) these data are then combined to establish in a conservative manner the fraction of the predicted total fission product absorption which can be guaranteed based on available experimental data

  15. Highlights on R and D work related to the achievement of high burnup with MOX fuel in commercial reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lippens, M.; Maldague, Th.; Basselier, J.; Boulanger, D.; Mertens, L.

    2000-01-01

    Part of the R and D work made at BELGONUCLEAIRE in the field of high burnup achievement with MOX fuel in commercial LWRs is made through lnternational Programmes. Special attention is given to the evolution with burnup of fuel neutronic characteristics and of in-reactor rod thermal-mechanical behaviour. Pu burning in MOX is characterized essentially by a drop of Pu 239 content. The other Pu isotopes have an almost unchanged concentration, due to internal breeding. The reactivity drop of MOX versus burnup is consequently much less pronounced than in UO 2 fuel. Concentration of minor actinides Am and Cm becomes significant with burnup increase. These nuclides start to play a role on total reactivity and in the helium production. The thermal-mechanical behaviour of MOX fuel rod is very similar to that of UO 2 . Some specificities are noticed. The better PCI resistance recognized to MOX fuel has recently been confirmed. Three PWR MOX segments pm-irradiated up to 58 GWd/tM were ramped at 100 W/cm.min respectively to 430-450-500 W/cm followed by a hold time of 24 hours. No segment failed. MOX and UO 2 fuels have different reactivities and operate thus at different powers. Moreover, radial distribution of power in MOX pellet is less depressed at high burnup than in UO 2 , leading to higher fuel central temperature for a same rating. The thermal conductivity of MOX fuel decreases with Pu content, typically 4% for 10% Pu. The combination of these three elements (power level, power profile, and conductivity) lead to larger FGR at high burnup compared to UO 2 . Helium production remains low compared to fission gas production (ratio < 0.2). As faster diffusing element, the helium fractional release is much higher than that of fission gas, leading to rod pressure increase comparable to the one resulting from fission gas. (author)

  16. Fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up: analysis of reactivity coefficients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kryuchkov, E.F.; Shmelev, A.N.; Ternovykh, M.J.; Tikhomirov, G.V.; Jinhong, L. [Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (State University) (Russian Federation); Saito, M. [Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan)

    2003-07-01

    Fuel cycles of light-water reactors (LWR) with high fuel burn-up (above 100 MWd/kg), as a rule, involve large amounts of fissionable materials. It leads to forming the neutron spectrum harder than that in traditional LWR. Change of neutron spectrum and significant amount of non-traditional isotopes (for example, {sup 237}Np, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 231}Pa, {sup 232}U) in such fuel compositions can alter substantially reactivity coefficients as compared with traditional uranium-based fuel. The present work addresses the fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up which are based on Th-Pa-U and U-Np-Pu fuel compositions. Numerical analyses are carried out to determine effective neutron multiplication factor and void reactivity coefficient (VRC) for different values of fuel burn-up and different lattice parameters. The algorithm is proposed for analysis of isotopes contribution to these coefficients. Various ways are considered to upgrade safety of nuclear fuel cycles with high fuel burn-up. So, the results obtained in this study have demonstrated that: -1) Non-traditional fuel compositions developed for achievement of high fuel burn-up in LWR can possess positive values of reactivity coefficients that is unacceptable from the reactor operation safety point of view; -2) The lattice pitch of traditional LWR is not optimal for non-traditional fuel compositions, the increased value of the lattice pitch leads to larger value of initial reactivity margin and provides negative VRC within sufficiently broad range of coolant density; -3) Fuel burn-up has an insignificant effect on VRC dependence on coolant density, so, the measures undertaken to suppress positive VRC of fresh fuel will be effective for partially burnt-up fuel compositions also and; -4) Increase of LWR core height and introduction of additional moderators into the fuel lattice can be used as the ways to reach negative VRC values for full range of possible coolant density variations.

  17. Development of a reference spent fuel library of 17x17 PWR fuel assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossa, Riccardo; Borella, Alessandro; Van der Meer, Klaas

    2013-01-01

    One of the most common ways to investigate new Non-Destructive Assays (NDA) for the spent fuel assemblies are Monte Carlo simulations. In order to build realistic models the user must define in an accurate way the material compositions and the source terms in the system. This information can be obtained using burnup codes such as ORIGEN-ARP and ALEPH2.2, developed at SCK-CEN. These software applications allow the user to select the irradiation history of the fuel assembly and to calculate the corresponding isotopic composition and neutron/gamma emissions as a function of time. In the framework of the development of an innovative NDA for spent fuel verifications, SCK•CEN built an extensive fuel library for 17x17 PWR assemblies, using both ORIGEN-ARP and ALEPH2.2. The parameters considered in the calculations were initial enrichment, discharge burnup, and cooling time. The combination of these variables allows to obtain more than 1500 test cases. Considering the broad range of the parameters, the fuel library can be used for other purposes apart from spent fuel verifications, for instance for the direct disposal in geological repositories. In addition to the isotopic composition of the spent fuel, the neutron and photon emissions were also calculated and compared between the two codes. The comparison of the isotopic composition showed a good agreement between the codes for most of the relevant isotopes in the spent fuel. However, specific isotopes as well as neutron and gamma spectra still need to be investigated in detail.

  18. High burnup MOX fuel assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanpain, P.; Brunel, L.

    1999-01-01

    From the outset, the MOX product was required to have the same performance as UO 2 in terms of burnup and operational flexibility. In fact during the first years the UO 2 managements could not be applied to MOX. The changeover to an AFA 2G type fuel allowed an improvement in NPP operational flexibility. The move to the AFA 3G design fuel will enable an increase in the burnup of the MOX assemblies to the level of the UO 2 ones ('MOX Parity' project). But the FRAMATOME fuel development objective does not stop at the obtaining of parity between the current MOX and UO 2 products: this parity must remain guaranteed and the MOX managements must evolve in the same way as the UO 2 managements. The goal of the MOX product development programmes underway with COGEMA and the CEA is the demonstration over the next 10 years of a fuel capable of reaching burnups of 70 GWD/T. The research programmes focus on the fission gas release aspect, with three issues explored: optimization of pellet microstructures and validation in experimental reactor ; build-up of experience feedback from fission gas release at elevated burnups in commercial reactors, both for current and experimental products; adaptation and qualification of the design models and tools, over the ranges and for the products concerned. The product arising from these development programmes should be offered on the market around 2010. While meeting safety requirements, it will cater for the needs of the utilities in terms of product reliability, personnel dosimetry and kWh output costs (increase in burnup, NPP maneuverability and availability, minimization of process waste). (authors)

  19. Neutronics performances study of silicon carbide as an inert matrix to achieve very high burn-up for light water reactor fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chabert, C.; Coulon-Picard, E.; Pelletier, M.

    2007-01-01

    In order to extend the actual limits of light water reactors, the Cea has put emphasis on the exploration of major fuel innovations that would allow us to increase the competitiveness, the safety and flexibility, while keeping the standard PWR environment. Different fuel concepts have been chosen and are actually studied to evaluate their advantages and drawbacks. The objectives of these new fuels are to increase the safety performances and to achieve a very high burn-up. One concept is a CERCER fuel with silicon carbide (SiC) as an inert matrix devoted to reduce the fuel temperature at nominal conditions. Besides the investigation of the neutronic performance, analyses on the thermomechanical performances, the fuel fabrication, the fuel reprocessing and economic aspects have been performed. This paper presents particularly neutronic results obtained for the CERCER fuel. The results show that a very high burn-up, a high safety performance and a better competitiveness cannot be achieved with this fuel concept. (authors)

  20. Burn-up credit criticality safety benchmark phase VII - UO2 fuel: study of spent fuel compositions for long-term disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    After spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is discharged from a nuclear reactor, fuel composition and reactivity continue to vary as a function of time due to the decay of unstable nuclides. Accurate predictions of the concentrations of long-lived radionuclides in SNF, which represent a significant potential hazard to human beings and to the environment over a very long period, are particularly necessary for radiological dose assessments. This report assesses the ability of existing computer codes and associated nuclear data to predict isotopic compositions and their corresponding neutron multiplication factor (k eff ) values for pressurised-water-reactor (PWR) UO 2 fuel at 50 GWd/MTU burn-up in a generic spent fuel cask configuration. Fuel decay compositions and k eff values have been calculated for 30 post-irradiation time steps out to one million years

  1. Corrosion performance of optimised and advanced fuel rod cladding in PWRs at high burnups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jourdain, P.; Hallstadius, L.; Pati, S.R.; Smith, G.P.; Garde, A.M.

    1997-01-01

    The corrosion behaviour both in-pile and out-of-pile for a number of cladding alloys developed by ABB to meet the current and future needs for fuel rod cladding with improved corrosion resistance is presented. The cladding materials include: 1) Zircaloy-4 (OPTIN) with optimised composition and processing and Zircaloy-2 optimised for Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR), (Zircaloy-2P), and 2) several alternative zirconium-based alloys with compositions outside the composition range for Zircaloys. The data presented originate from fuel rods irradiated in six PWRs to burnups up to about 66 MWd/kgU and from tests conducted in 360 o water autoclave. Also included are in-pile fuel rod growth measurements on some of the alloys. (UK)

  2. Burnup credit demands for spent fuel management in Ukraine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medun, V.

    2001-01-01

    In fact, till now, burnup credit has not be applied in Ukrainian nuclear power for spent fuel management systems (storage and transport). However, application of advanced fuel at VVER reactors, arising spent fuel amounts, represent burnup credit as an important resource to decrease spent fuel management costs. The paper describes spent fuel management status in Ukraine from viewpoint of subcriticality assurance under spent fuel storage and transport. It also considers: 1. Regulation basis concerning subcriticality assurance, 2. Basic spent fuel and transport casks characteristics, 3. Possibilities and demands for burnup credit application at spent fuel management systems in Ukraine. (author)

  3. MTR fuel element burn-up measurements by the reactivity method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuniga, A.; Cuya, T.R.; Ravnik, M.

    2003-01-01

    Fuel element burn-up was measured by the reactivity method in the 10 MW Peruvian MTR reactor RP-10. The main purpose of the experiment was testing the reactivity method for an MTR reactor as the reactivity method was originally developed for TRIGA reactors. The reactivity worth of each measured fuel element was measured in its original core position in order to measure the burn-up of the fuel elements that were part of the experimental core. The burn-up of each measured fuel element was derived by interpolating its reactivity worth from the reactivity worth of two reference fuel elements of known burn-up, whose reactivity worth was measured in the position of the measured fuel element. The accuracy of the method was improved by separating the reactivity effect of burn-up from the effect of the position in the core. The results of the experiment showed that the modified reactivity method for fuel element burn-up determination could be applied also to MTR reactors. (orig.)

  4. Measurement of burnup in FBR MOX fuel irradiated to high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koyama, Shin-ichi; Osaka, Masahiko; Sekine, Takashi; Morozumi, Katsufumi; Namekawa, Takashi; Itoh, Masahiko

    2003-01-01

    The burnup of fuel pins in the subassemblies irradiated at the range from 0.003 to 13.28% FIMA in the JOYO MK-II core were measured by the isotope dilution analysis. For the measurement, 75 and 51 specimens were taken from the fuel pins of driver fuel and irradiation test subassemblies, respectively. The data of burnup could be obtained within an experimental error of 4%, and were compared with the ones calculated by 3-dimensional neutron diffusion codes MAGI and ESPRIT-J, which are used for JOYO core management system. Both data of burnup almost agree with each other within an error of 5%. For the fuel pins loaded at the outer region of the subassembly in the 4th row, which was adjacent to reflectors, however, some of the calculation results were 15% less at most than the measured values. It is suggested from the calculation by a Monte Carlo code MCNP-4A that this difference between the calculated and the measured data attribute from the softening of neutron flux in the region adjacent to the reflector. (author)

  5. Fuel analysis code FAIR and its high burnup modelling capabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasad, P.S.; Dutta, B.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.; Mahajan, S.C.; Kakodkar, A.

    1995-01-01

    A computer code FAIR has been developed for analysing performance of water cooled reactor fuel pins. It is capable of analysing high burnup fuels. This code has recently been used for analysing ten high burnup fuel rods irradiated at Halden reactor. In the present paper, the code FAIR and its various high burnup models are described. The performance of code FAIR in analysing high burnup fuels and its other applications are highlighted. (author). 21 refs., 12 figs

  6. The Impact of Operating Parameters and Correlated Parameters for Extended BWR Burnup Credit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ade, Brian J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Marshall, William B. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Ilas, Germina [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Betzler, Benjamin R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bowman, Stephen M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-06-01

    Applicants for certificates of compliance for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) transportation and dry storage systems perform analyses to demonstrate that these systems are adequately subcritical per the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Parts 71 and 72. For pressurized water reactor (PWR) SNF, these analyses may credit the reduction in assembly reactivity caused by depletion of fissile nuclides and buildup of neutron-absorbing nuclides during power operation. This credit for reactivity reduction during depletion is commonly referred to as burnup credit (BUC). US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff review BUC analyses according to the guidance in the Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) 8, Revision 3, Burnup Credit in the Criticality Safety Analyses of PWR Spent Fuel in Transportation and Storage Casks.

  7. Advanced fuel cycles and burnup increase of WWER-440 fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Proselkov, V.; Saprykin, V.; Scheglov, A.

    2003-01-01

    Analyses of operational experience of 4.4% enriched fuel in the 5-year fuel cycle at Kola NPP Unit 3 and fuel assemblies with Uranium-Gadolinium fuel at Kola NPP Unit 4 are made. The operability of WWER-440 fuel under high burnup is studied. The obtained results indicate that the fuel rods of WWER-440 assemblies intended for operation within six years of the reviewed fuel cycle totally preserve their operability. Performed analyses have demonstrated the possibility of the fuel rod operability during the fuel cycle. 12 assemblies were loaded into the reactor unit of Kola 3 in 2001. The predicted burnup in six assemblies was 59.2 MWd/kgU. Calculated values of the burnup after operation for working fuel assemblies were ∼57 MWd/kgU, for fuel rods - up to ∼61 MWd/kgU. Data on the coolant activity, specific activity of the benchmark iodine radionuclides of the reactor primary circuit, control of the integrity of fuel rods of the assemblies that were operated for six years indicate that not a single assembly has reached the criterion for the early discharge

  8. Application of reactivity method to MTR fuel burn-up measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zuniga, A.; Ravnik, M.; Cuya, R.

    2001-01-01

    Fuel element burn-up has been measured for the first time by reactivity method in a MTR reactor. The measurement was performed in RP-10 reactor of Peruvian Institute for Nuclear Energy (IPEN) in Lima. It is a pool type 10MW material testing reactor using standard 20% enriched uranium plate type fuel elements. A fresh element and an element with well defined burn-up were selected as reference elements. Several elements in the core were selected for burn-up measurement. Each of them was replaced in its original position by both reference elements. Change in excess reactivity was measured using control rod calibration curve. The burn-up reactivity worth of fuel elements was plotted as a function of their calculated burnup. Corrected burn-up values of the measured fuel elements were calculated using the fitting function at experimental reactivity for all elements. Good agreement between measured and calculated burn-up values was observed indicating that the reactivity method can be successfully applied also to MTR fuel element burn-up determination.(author)

  9. Criticality calculations of a generic fuel container for fuel assemblies PWR, by means of the code MCNP; Calculos de criticidad de un contenedor de combustible generico para ensambles combustibles PWR, mediante el codigo MCNP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vargas E, S.; Esquivel E, J.; Ramirez S, J. R., E-mail: samuel.vargas@inin.gob.mx [ININ, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    2013-10-15

    The purpose of the concept of burned consideration (Burn-up credit) is determining the capacity of the calculation codes, as well as of the nuclear data associates to predict the isotopic composition and the corresponding neutrons effective multiplication factor in a generic container of spent fuel during some time of relevant storage. The present work has as objective determining this capacity of the calculation code MCNP in the prediction of the neutrons effective multiplication factor for a fuel assemblies arrangement type PWR inside a container of generic storage. The calculations are divided in two parts, the first, in the decay calculations with specified nuclide concentrations by the reference for a pressure water reactor (PWR) with enriched fuel to 4.5% and a discharge burned of 50 GW d/Mtu. The second, in criticality calculations with isotopic compositions dependent of the time for actinides and important fission products, taking 30 time steps, for two actinide groups and fission products. (Author)

  10. Instant release of fission products in leaching experiments with high burn-up nuclear fuels in the framework of the Euratom project FIRST- Nuclides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lemmens, K., E-mail: klemmens@sckcen.be [Waste and Disposal Expert Group, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); González-Robles, E.; Kienzler, B. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institute for Nuclear Waste Disposal (KIT-INE), PO Box 3640, D-76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Curti, E. [Laboratory for Waste Management, Nuclear Energy and Safety Dept., Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Serrano-Purroy, D. [European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre - JRC, Directorate G - Nuclear Safety & Security, Department G.III, PO Box 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe (Germany); Sureda, R.; Martínez-Torrents, A. [CTM Centre Tecnològic, Plaça de la Ciència 2, 08243 Manresa (Spain); Roth, O. [Studsvik, Nuclear AB, 611 82 Nyköping (Sweden); Slonszki, E. [Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Energiatudományi Kutatóközpont (MTA EK), PO Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary); Mennecart, T. [Waste and Disposal Expert Group, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Günther-Leopold, I. [Laboratory for Waste Management, Nuclear Energy and Safety Dept., Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Hózer, Z. [Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Energiatudományi Kutatóközpont (MTA EK), PO Box 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)

    2017-02-15

    The instant release of fission products from high burn-up UO{sub 2} fuels and one MOX fuel was investigated by means of leach tests. The samples covered PWR and BWR fuels at average rod burn-up in the range of 45–63 GWd/t{sub HM} and included clad fuel segments, fuel segments with opened cladding, fuel fragments and fuel powder. The tests were performed with sodium chloride – bicarbonate solutions under oxidizing conditions and, for one test, in reducing Ar/H{sub 2} atmosphere. The iodine and cesium release could be partially explained by the differences in sample preparation, leading to different sizes and properties of the exposed surface areas. Iodine and cesium releases tend to correlate with FGR and linear power rating, but the scatter of the data is significant. Although the gap between the fuel and the cladding was closed in some high burn-up samples, fissures still provide possible preferential transport pathways. - Highlights: • Leach tests were performed to study the instant release of fission products from high burn-up UO{sub 2} fuels and one MOX fuel. • In these tests, the fission gas release given by the operator was a pessimistic estimator of the iodine and cesium release. • Iodine and cesium release is proportional to linear power rating beyond 200 W cm{sup −1}. • Closure of the fuel-cladding gap at high burn-up slows down the release. • The release rate decreases following an exponential equation.

  11. Fuel rod behaviour at high burnup WWER fuel cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medvedev, A.; Bogatyr, S.; Kouznetsov, V.; Khvostov, G.; Lagovsky; Korystin, L.; Poudov, V.

    2003-01-01

    The modernisation of WWER fuel cycles is carried out on the base of complete modelling and experimental justification of fuel rods up to 70 MWd/kgU. The modelling justification of the reliability of fuel rod and fuel rod with gadolinium is carried out with the use of certified START-3 code. START-3 code has a continuous experimental support. The thermophysical and strength reliability of WWER-440 fuel is justified for fuel rod and pellet burnups 65 MWd/kgU and 74 MWd/U, accordingly. Results of analysis are demonstrated by the example of uranium-gadolinium fuel assemblies of second generation under 5-year cycle with a portion of 6-year assemblies and by the example of successfully completed pilot operation of 5-year cycle fuel assemblies during 6 years at unit 3 of Kolskaja NPP. The thermophysical and strength reliability of WWER-1000 fuel is justified for a fuel rod burnup 66 MWd/kgU by the example of fuel operation under 4-year cycles and 6-year test operation of fuel assemblies at unit 1 of Kalininskaya NPP. By the example of 5-year cycle at Dukovany NPP Unit 2 it was demonstrated that WWER fuel rod of a burnup 58 MWd/kgU ensure reliable operation under load following conditions. The analysis has confirmed sufficient reserves of Russian fuel to implement program of JSC 'TVEL' in order to improve technical and economical parameters of WWER fuel cycles

  12. EPRI/DOE High Burnup Fuel Sister Pin Test Plan Simplification and Visualization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saltzstein, Sylvia J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sorenson, Ken B. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hanson, Brady [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Billone, Mike [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Scaglione, John [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Montgomery, Rose [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Bevard, Bruce [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2017-07-01

    The EPRI/DOE High Burnup Confirmatory Data Project (herein called the "Demo") is a multi-year, multi-entity confirmation demonstration test with the purpose of providing quantitative and qualitative data to show how high-burnup fuel ages in dry storage over a ten-year period. The Demo involves obtaining 32 assemblies of high-burnup PWR fuel of four common cladding alloys from the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant, drying them according to standard plant procedures, and then storing them in an NRC-licensed TN-3 2B cask on the North Anna dry storage pad for ten years. After the ten-year storage time, the cask will be opened and the rods will be examined for signs of aging. Twenty-five rods from assemblies of similar claddings, in-reactor placement, and burnup histories (herein called "sister rods") have been shipped from the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant and are currently being nondestructively tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After the non-destructive testing has been completed for each of the twenty-five rods, destructive analysis will be performed at ORNL, PNNL, and ANL to obtain mechanical data. Opinions gathered from the expert interviews, ORNL and PNNL Sister Rod Test Plans, and numerous meetings has resulted in the Simplified Test Plan described in this document. Some of the opinions and discussions leading to the simplified test plan are included here. Detailed descriptions and background are in the ORNL and PNNL plans in the appendices . After the testing described in this simplified test plan h as been completed , the community will review all the collected data and determine if additional testing is needed.

  13. Balance and behavior of gaseous radionuclides released during initial PWR fuel reprocessing operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leudet, A.; Miquel, P.; Goumondy, P.J.; Charrier, G.

    1982-08-01

    Five fuel pins, taken from a PWR fuel assembly with 32000 MWD/t burn-up were chopped and dissolved in leak-proof equipment designed for accurate determination of the composition and quantity of gaseous elements released in these operations. Analytical methods were specially developped to determine directly the noble gases, tritium and gaseous carbon compounds in the gas phase. Volatile iodine was kept as close as possible to the source by cold traps, then transferred to a caustic solution for quantitative analysis. The quantities and activities of gaseous fission products thus determined were compared with predicted values obtained through computation. Very good agreement was generally observed

  14. Balance and behavior of gaseous radionuclides released during initial PWR fuel reprocessing operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leudet, A.; Miquel, P.; Goumondy, P.J.; Charrier, G.

    1983-01-01

    Five fuel pins, taken from a PWR fuel assembly with 32,000 MwD/t burn-up were chopped and dissolved in leak-proof equipment designed for accurate determination of the composition and quantity of gaseous elements released in these operations. Analytical methods were specially developed to determine directly the noble gases, tritium and gaseous carbon compounds in the gas phase. Volatile iodine was kept as close as possible to the source by cold traps, then transferred to a caustic solution for quantitative analysis. The quantities and activities of gaseous fission products thus determined were compared with predicted values obtained through computation. Very good agreement was generally observed

  15. Quantitative Analysis of Kr-85 Fission Gas Release from Dry Process for the Treatment of Spent PWR Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Geun Il; Cho, Kwang Hun; Lee, Dou Youn; Lee, Jung Won; Park, Jang Jin; Song, Kee Chan

    2007-01-01

    As spent UO 2 fuel oxidizes to U 3 O 8 by air oxidation, a corresponding volume expansion separate grains, releasing the grain-boundary inventory of fission gases. Fission products in spent UO 2 fuel can be distributed in three major regions : the inventory in fuel-sheath gap, the inventory on grain boundaries and the inventory in UO 2 matrix. Release characteristic of fission gases depends on its distribution amount in three regions as well as spent fuel burn-up. Oxidation experiments of spent fuel at 500 .deg. C gives the information of fission gases inventory in spent fuel, and further annealing experiments at higher temperature produces matrix inventory of fission gases on segregated grain. In previous study, fractional release characteristics of Kr- 85 during OREOX (Oxidation and REduction of Oxide fuel) treatment as principal key process for recycling spent PWR fuel via DUPIC cycle have already evaluated as a function of fuel burn-up with 27.3, 35 and 65 MWd/tU. In this paper, new release experiment results of Kr-85 using spent fuel with burn- up of 58 GWd/tU are included to evaluate the fission gas release behavior. As a point of summary in fission gases release behavior, the quantitative analysis of Kr- 85 release characteristics from various spent fuels with different burn-up during voloxidation and OREOX process were reviewed

  16. Advanced PWR Core Design with Siemens High-Plutonium-Content MOX Fuel Assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dieter Porsch; Gerhard Schlosser; Hans-Dieter Berger

    2000-01-01

    The Siemens experience with plutonium recycling dates back to the late 1960s. Over the years, extensive research and development programs were performed for the qualification of mixed-oxide (MOX) technology and design methods. Today's typical reload enrichments for uranium and MOX fuel assemblies and modern core designs have become more demanding with respect to accuracy and reliability of design codes. This paper presents the status of plutonium recycling in operating high-burnup pressurized water reactor (PWR) cores. Based on actual examples, it describes the validation status of the design methods and stresses current and future needs for fuel assembly and core design including those related to the disposition of weapons-grade plutonium

  17. Burnup credit in a dry storage module

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thornton, J.R.

    1989-01-01

    Comparison of spent fuel storage expansion options available to Oconee Nuclear Station revealed that dry storage could be economically competitive with transshipment and rod consolidation. Economic competitiveness, however, mandated large unit capacity while existing cask handling facilities at Oconee severely limited size and weight. The dry storage concept determined to best satisfy these conflicting criteria is a 24 pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assembly capacity NUTECH Horizontal Modular Storage (NUHOMS) system. The Oconee version of the NUHOMS system takes advantage of burnup credit in demonstrating criticality safety. The burnup credit criticality analysis was performed by Duke Power Company's Design Engineering Department. This paper was prepared to summarize the criticality control design features employed in the Oconee NUHOMS-24P DSC basket and to describe the incentives for pursuing a burnup credit design. Principal criticality design parameters, criteria, and analysis methodology are also presented

  18. Preliminary study on direct recycling of spent PWR fuel in PWR system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waris, Abdul; Nuha; Novitriana; Kurniadi, Rizal; Su'ud, Zaki

    2012-01-01

    Preliminary study on direct recycling of PWR spent fuel to support SUPEL (Straight Utilization of sPEnt LWR fuel in LWR system) scenario has been conducted. Several spent PWR fuel compositions in loaded PWR fuel has been evaluated to obtain the criticality of reactor. The reactor can achieve it criticality for U-235 enrichment in the loaded fresh fuel is at least 4.0 a% with the minimum fraction of the spent fuel in the core is 15.0 %. The neutron spectra become harder with the escalating of U-235 enrichment in the loaded fresh fuel as well as the amount of the spent fuel in the core.

  19. Calculation of source term in spent PWR fuel assemblies for dry storage and shipping cask design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, J. L.; Lopez, J.

    1986-01-01

    Using the ORIGEN-2 Coda, the decay heat and neutron and photon sources for an irradiated PWR fuel element have been calculated. Also, parametric studies on the behaviour of the magnitudes with the burn-up, linear heat power and irradiation and cooling times were performed. Finally, a comparison between our results and other design calculations shows a good agreement and confirms the validity of the used method. (Author) 6 refs

  20. Development of computational methods to describe the mechanical behavior of PWR fuel assemblies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wanninger, Andreas; Seidl, Marcus; Macian-Juan, Rafael [Technische Univ. Muenchen, Garching (Germany). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering

    2016-10-15

    To investigate the static mechanical response of PWR fuel assemblies (FAs) in the reactor core, a structural FA model is being developed using the FEM code ANSYS Mechanical. To assess the capabilities of the model, lateral deflection tests are performed for a reference FA. For this purpose we distinguish between two environments, in-laboratory and in-reactor for different burn-ups. The results are in qualitative agreement with experimental tests and show the stiffness decrease of the FAs during irradiation in the reactor core.

  1. COGEMA/TRANSNUCLEAIRE's experience with burnup credit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chanzy, Y.; Guillou, E.

    1998-01-01

    Facing a continuous increase in the fuel enrichments, COGEMA and TRANSNUCLEAIRE have implemented step by step a burnup credit programme to improve the capacity of their equipment without major physical modification. Many authorizations have been granted by the French competent authority in wet storage, reprocessing and transport since 1981. As concerns transport, numerous authorizations have been validated by foreign competent authorities. Up to now, those authorizations are restricted to PWR Fuel type assemblies made of enriched uranium. The characterization of the irradiated fuel and the reactivity of the systems are evaluated by calculations performed with well qualified French codes developed by the CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission): CESAR as a depletion code and APPOLO-MORET as a criticality code. The authorizations are based on the assurance that the burnup considered is met on the least irradiated part of the fuel assemblies. Besides, the most reactive configuration is calculated and the burnup credit is restricted to major actinides only. This conservative approach allows not to take credit for any axial profile. On the operational side, the procedures have been reevaluated to avoid misloadings and a burnup verification is made before transport, storage and reprocessing. Depending on the level of burnup credit, it consists of a qualitative (go/no-go) verification or of a quantitative measurement. Thus the use of burnup credit is now a common practice in France and Germany and new improvements are still in progress: extended qualifications of the codes are made to enable the use of six selected fission products in the criticality evaluations. (author)

  2. The role of Monte Carlo burnup calculations in quantifying plutonium mass in spent fuel assemblies with non-destructive assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galloway, Jack D.; Tobin, Stephen J.; Trellue, Holly R.; Fensin, Michael L. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, (United States)

    2011-12-15

    The Next Generation Safeguards Initiate (NGSI) of the United States Department of Energy has funded a multi-laboratory/university collaboration to quantify plutonium content in spent fuel (SF) with non-destructive assay (NDA) techniques and quantify the capability of these NDA techniques to detect pin diversions from SF assemblies. The first Monte Carlo based spent fuel library (SFL) developed for the NGSI program contained information for 64 different types of SF assemblies (four initial enrichments, burnups, and cooling times). The maximum amount of fission products allowed to still model a 17x17 Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assembly with four regions per fuel pin was modelled. The number of fission products tracked was limited by the available memory. Studies have since indicated that additional fission product inclusion and asymmetric burning of the assembly is desired. Thus, an updated SFL has been developed using an enhanced version of MCNPX, more powerful computing resources, and the Monte Carlo-based burnup code Monteburns, which links MCNPX to a depletion code and models a representative 1 Division-Slash 8 core geometry containing one region per fuel pin in the assemblies of interest, including a majority of the fission products with available cross sections. Often in safeguards, the limiting factor in the accuracy of NDA instruments is the quality of the working standard used in calibration. In the case of SF this is anticipated to also be true, particularly for several of the neutron techniques. The fissile isotopes of interest are co-mingled with neutron absorbers that alter the measured count rate. This paper will quantify how well working standards can be generated for PWR spent fuel assemblies and also describe the spatial plutonium distribution across an assembly. More specifically we will demonstrate how Monte Carlo gamma measurement simulations and a Monte Carlo burnup code can be used to characterize the emitted gamma

  3. Fuel burnup analysis for the Moroccan TRIGA research reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Bakkari, B.; El Bardouni, T.; Nacir, B.; El Younoussi, C.; Boulaich, Y.; Boukhal, H.; Zoubair, M.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A fuel burnup analysis of the 2 MW TRIGA MARK II Moroccan research reactor was established. ► Burnup calculations were done by means of the in-house developed burnup code BUCAL1. ► BUCAL1 uses the MCNP tallies directly in the calculation of the isotopic inventories. ► The reactor life time was found to be 3360 MW h considering full power operating conditions. ► Power factors and fluxes of the in-core irradiation positions are strongly affected by burnup. -- Abstract: The fundamental advantage and main reason to use Monte Carlo methods for burnup calculations is the possibility to generate extremely accurate burnup dependent one group cross-sections and neutron fluxes for arbitrary core and fuel geometries. Yet, a set of values determined for a material at a given position and time remains accurate only in a local region, in which neutron spectrum and flux vary weakly — and only for a limited period of time, during which changes of the local isotopic composition are minor. This paper presents the approach of fuel burnup evaluation used at the Moroccan TRIGA MARK II research reactor. The approach is essentially based upon the utilization of BUCAL1, an in-house developed burnup code. BUCAL1 is a FORTRAN computer code designed to aid in analysis, prediction, and optimization of fuel burnup performance in nuclear reactors. The code was developed to incorporate the neutron absorption reaction tally information generated directly by MCNP5 code in the calculation of fissioned or neutron-transmuted isotopes for multi-fueled regions. The fuel cycle length and changes in several core parameters such as: core excess reactivity, control rods position, fluxes at the irradiation positions, axial and radial power factors and other parameters are estimated. Besides, this study gives valuable insight into the behavior of the reactor and will ensure better utilization and operation of the reactor during its life-time and it will allow the establishment of

  4. Monte Carlo Simulation of Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis of the PWR Spent Fuel with a Pt Coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Hyoung Mun; Lee, Hyung Kwon; Son, Young Zoon; Chun, Yong Bum

    2012-01-01

    The PWR spent fuel sample should be coated with conducting material in order to provide a path for electrons and to prevent charging. Generally, the ZAF method has been used for quantitative electron probe microanalysis of conducting samples. However, the coated samples are not applicable for the ZAF method. Probe current, primary electron energy and x-ray produced by the primary beam are attenuated within the coating films. The electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program [2] to evaluate the x-ray attenuation within the Pt coating films. The target samples are the PWR spent fuels with 50 GWd/tU of burnup , 6 years of cooling time and a Pt coating film (3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 nm thickness)

  5. Monte Carlo Simulation of Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis of the PWR Spent Fuel with a Pt Coating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Hyoung Mun; Lee, Hyung Kwon; Son, Young Zoon; Chun, Yong Bum [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-05-15

    The PWR spent fuel sample should be coated with conducting material in order to provide a path for electrons and to prevent charging. Generally, the ZAF method has been used for quantitative electron probe microanalysis of conducting samples. However, the coated samples are not applicable for the ZAF method. Probe current, primary electron energy and x-ray produced by the primary beam are attenuated within the coating films. The electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program [2] to evaluate the x-ray attenuation within the Pt coating films. The target samples are the PWR spent fuels with 50 GWd/tU of burnup , 6 years of cooling time and a Pt coating film (3, 5, 7, 10 and 15 nm thickness)

  6. Recent Progress on the DUPIC Fuel Fabrication Technology at KAERI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung-Won Lee; Ho-Jin Ryu; Geun-Il Park; Kee-Chan Song

    2008-01-01

    Since 1991, KAERI has been developing the DUPIC fuel cycle technology. The concept of a direct use of spent PWR fuel in Candu reactors (DUPIC) is based on a dry processing method to re-fabricate Candu fuel from spent PWR fuel without any intentional separation of the fissile materials and fission products. A DUPIC fuel pellet was successfully fabricated and the DUPIC fuel element fabrication processes were qualified on the basis of a Quality Assurance program. Consequently, the DUPIC fuel fabrication technology was verified and demonstrated on a laboratory-scale. Recently, the fuel discharge burn-up of PWRs has been extended to reduce the amount of spent fuel and the fuel cycle costs. Considering this trend of extending the fuel burn-up in PWRs, the DUPIC fuel fabrication technology should be improved to process high burn-up spent fuels. Particularly the release behavior of cesium from the pellet prepared with a high burn-up spent fuel was assessed. an improved DUPIC fuel fabrication technology was experimentally established with a fuel burn-up of 65,000 MWd/tU. (authors)

  7. Analysis of high burnup pressurized water reactor fuel using uranium, plutonium, neodymium, and cesium isotope correlations with burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung Suk; Jeon, Young Shin; Park, Soon Dal; Ha, Yeong Keong; Song, Kyu Seok

    2015-01-01

    The correlation of the isotopic composition of uranium, plutonium, neodymium, and cesium with the burnup for high burnup pressurized water reactor fuels irradiated in nuclear power reactors has been experimentally investigated. The total burnup was determined by Nd-148 and the fractional 235 U burnup was determined by U and Pu mass spectrometric methods. The isotopic compositions of U, Pu, Nd, and Cs after their separation from the irradiated fuel samples were measured using thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The contents of these elements in the irradiated fuel were determined through an isotope dilution mass spectrometric method using 233 U, 242 Pu, 150 Nd, and 133 Cs as spikes. The activity ratios of Cs isotopes in the fuel samples were determined using gamma-ray spectrometry. The content of each element and its isotopic compositions in the irradiated fuel were expressed by their correlation with the total and fractional burnup, burnup parameters, and the isotopic compositions of different elements. The results obtained from the experimental methods were compared with those calculated using the ORIGEN-S code

  8. Burnup determination of mass spectrometry for nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Chunhua.

    1987-01-01

    The various methods currently being used in burnup determination of nuclear fuels are studied and reviewed. The mass spectrometry method of destructive testing is discussed emphatically. The burnup determination of mass spectrometry includes heavy isotopic abundance ratio method and isotope dilution mass spectrometry used as burnup indicator for the fission products. The former is applied to high burnup level, but the later to various burnup level. According to experiences, some problems which should be noticed in burnup determination of mass spectrometry are presented

  9. Burnup credit implementation plan and preparation work at JAERI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nomura, Y.; Itahara, K.

    2001-01-01

    Application of the burnup credit concept is considered to be very effective to the design of spent fuel transport and storage facilities. This technology is all the more important when considering construction of the intermediate spent fuel storage facility, which is to be commissioned by 2010 due to increasing amount of accumulated spent fuel in Japan. Until reprocessing and recycling all the spent fuel arising, they will be stored as an energy stockpile until such time as they can be reprocessed. On the other hand, the burnup credit has been partly taken into account for the spent fuel management at Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, which is to be commissioned in 2005. They have just finished the calibration tests for their burnup monitor with initially accepted several spent fuel assemblies. Because this monitoring system is employed with highly conservative safety margin, it is considered necessary to develop the more rational and simplified method to confirm burnup of spent fuel. A research program has been instituted to improve the present method employed at the spent fuel management system for the Spent Fuel Receiving and Storage Pool of Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant. This program is jointly performed by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) and JAERI.This presentation describes the current status of spent fuel accumulation discharged from PWR and BWR in Japan and the recent incentive to introduce burnup credit into design of spent fuel storage and transport facilities. This also includes the content of the joint research program initiated by JNFL and JAERI. The relevant study has been continued at JAERI. The results by these research programs will be included in the Burnup Credit Guide Original Version compiled by JAERI. (author)

  10. Stress intensity factor at the tip of cladding incipient crack in RIA-simulating experiments for high-burnup PWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Udagawa, Yutaka; Suzuki, Motoe; Sugiyama, Tomoyuki; Fuketa, Toyoshi

    2009-01-01

    RIA-simulating experiments for high-burnup PWR fuels have been performed in the NSRR, and the stress intensity factor K 1 at the tip of cladding incipient crack has been evaluated in order to investigate its validity as a PCMI failure threshold under RIA conditions. An incipient crack depth was determined by observation of metallographs. The maximum hydride-rim thickness in the cladding of the test fuel rod was regarded as the incipient crack depth in each test case. Hoop stress in the cladding periphery during the pulse power transient was calculated by the RANNS code. K 1 was calculated based on crack depth and hoop stress. According to the RANNS calculation, PCMI failure cases can be divided into two groups: failure in the elastic phase and failure in the plastic phase. In the former case, elastic deformation was predominant around the incipient crack at failure time. K 1 is available only in this case. In the latter, plastic deformation was predominant around the incipient crack at failure time. Failure in the elastic phase never occurred when K 1 was less than 17 MPa m 1/2 . For failure in the plastic phase, the plastic hoop strain of the cladding periphery at failure time clearly showed a tendency to decrease with incipient crack depth. The combination of K 1 , for failure in the elastic phase, and plastic hoop strain at failure, for failure in the plastic phase, can be an effective index of PCMI failure under RIA conditions. (author)

  11. Benchmark problem suite for reactor physics study of LWR next generation fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Akio; Ikehara, Tadashi; Ito, Takuya; Saji, Etsuro

    2002-01-01

    This paper proposes a benchmark problem suite for studying the physics of next-generation fuels of light water reactors. The target discharge burnup of the next-generation fuel was set to 70 GWd/t considering the increasing trend in discharge burnup of light water reactor fuels. The UO 2 and MOX fuels are included in the benchmark specifications. The benchmark problem consists of three different geometries: fuel pin cell, PWR fuel assembly and BWR fuel assembly. In the pin cell problem, detailed nuclear characteristics such as burnup dependence of nuclide-wise reactivity were included in the required calculation results to facilitate the study of reactor physics. In the assembly benchmark problems, important parameters for in-core fuel management such as local peaking factors and reactivity coefficients were included in the required results. The benchmark problems provide comprehensive test problems for next-generation light water reactor fuels with extended high burnup. Furthermore, since the pin cell, the PWR assembly and the BWR assembly problems are independent, analyses of the entire benchmark suite is not necessary: e.g., the set of pin cell and PWR fuel assembly problems will be suitable for those in charge of PWR in-core fuel management, and the set of pin cell and BWR fuel assembly problems for those in charge of BWR in-core fuel management. (author)

  12. Status of burnup credit implementation and research in Switzerland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grimm, P.

    2001-01-01

    Burnup credit has recently been approved by the Swiss licensing authority for the spent-fuel storage pool of a PWR plant for fuel exceeding the originally licensed initial enrichment. The criticality safety assessment is based on a configuration consisting of a small number (approximately a reload batch) of fresh assemblies surrounded by assemblies having a burnup corresponding to the minimum value in the top 1 m section after one cycle of irradiation. The allowable initial enrichment in this configuration is about 0.5% higher than for all fresh fuel. A central storage facility for all types of radioactive wastes from Switzerland, including cask storage of spent fuel assemblies is being commissioned presently. The first applications for licenses for casks to be used in this facility have been submitted. Credit for burnup has not been requested in these applications (conforming to the original licenses of the casks in their countries of origin), but utilities are interested in burnup credit for fuel with higher initial enrichments. Reactivity worth measurements as well as chemical assays of spent fuel samples in the LWR-PROTEUS facility at PSI are in detailed planning currently. The experiments, scheduled to start in 2001, will be performed in cooperation with the Swiss utilities and their fuel vendors. Although the focus of interest of these partners is on validation of in-core fuel management tools, the same experiments are also applicable to burnup credit, and contacts with further potential partners interested in this field are underway. (author)

  13. Advances in Metallic Fuels for High Burnup and Actinide Transmutation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hayes, S. L.; Harp, J. M.; Chichester, H. J. M.; Fielding, R. S.; Mariani, R. D.; Carmack, W. J.

    2016-10-01

    Research and development activities on metallic fuels in the US are focused on their potential use for actinide transmutation in future sodium fast reactors. As part of this application, there is a desire to demonstrate a multifold increase in burnup potential. A number of metallic fuel design innovations are under investigation with a view toward significantly increasing the burnup potential of metallic fuels, since higher discharge burnups equate to lower potential actinide losses during recycle. Promising innovations under investigation include: 1) lowering the fuel smeared density in order to accommodate the additional swelling expected as burnups increase, 2) utilizing an annular fuel geometry for better geometrical stability at low smeared densities, as well as the potential to eliminate the need for a sodium bond, and 3) minor alloy additions to immobilize lanthanide fission products inside the metallic fuel matrix and prevent their transport to the cladding resulting in fuel-cladding chemical interaction. This paper presents results from these efforts to advance metallic fuel technology in support of high burnup and actinide transmutation objectives. Highlights include examples of fabrication of low smeared density annular metallic fuels, experiments to identify alloy additions effective in immobilizing lanthanide fission products, and early postirradiation examinations of annular metallic fuels having low smeared densities and palladium additions for fission product immobilization.

  14. Nuclear fuels with high burnup: safety requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phuc Tran Dai

    2016-01-01

    Vietnam authorities foresees to build 3 reactors from Russian design (VVER AES 2006) by 2030. In order to prepare the preliminary report on safety analysis the Vietnamese Agency for Radioprotection and Safety has launched an investigation on the behaviour of nuclear fuels at high burnups (up to 60 GWj/tU) that will be those of the new plants. This study deals mainly with the behaviour of the fuel assemblies in case of loss of coolant (LOCA). It appears that for an average burnup of 50 GWj/tU and for the advanced design of the fuel assembly (cladding and materials) safety requirements are fulfilled. For an average burnup of 60 GWj/tU, a list of issues remains to be assessed, among which the impact of clad bursting or the hydrogen embrittlement of the advanced zirconium alloys. (A.C.)

  15. Fabrication of PWR fuel assembly and CANDU fuel bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, G.S.; Suh, K.S.; Chang, H.I.; Chung, S.H.

    1980-01-01

    For the project of localization of nuclear fuel fabrication, the R and D to establish the fabrication technology of CANDU fuel bundle as well as PWR fuel assembly was carried out. The suitable boss height and the prober Beryllium coating thickness to get good brazing condition of appendage were studied in the fabrication process of CANDU fuel rod. Basic Studies on CANLUB coating method also were performed. Problems in each fabrication process step and process flow between steps were reviewed and modified. The welding conditions for top and bottom nozzles, guide tube, seal and thimble screw pin were established in the fabrication processes of PWR fuel assembly. Additionally, some researches for a part of PWR grid brazing problems are also carried out

  16. Approach for implementing burnup credit in high-capacity truck casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boshoven, J.; Hopf, J.; Su, S.

    1991-01-01

    General Atomics (GA) will be submitting an application for certification to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the GA-4 and GA-9 Casks in 1992. To maintain a capacity of four pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) spent fuel assemblies, the GA-4 Cask uses burnup credit as part of the criticality control for the higher enrichments. Using the US Department of Energy (DOE) Burnup Credit Program as a basis, GA presents here an approach to burnup credit analysis to be included in the Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP). 6 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

  17. Needs of reliable nuclear data and covariance matrices for Burnup Credit in JEFF-3 library

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chambon, A.; Santamarina, A.; Riffard, C.; Lavaud, F.; Lecarpentier, D.

    2013-01-01

    Burnup Credit (BUC) is the concept which consists in taking into account credit for the reduction of nuclear spent fuel reactivity due to its burnup. In the case of PWR-MOx spent fuel, studies pointed out that the contribution of the 15 most absorbing, stable and non-volatile fission products selected to the credit is as important as the one of the actinides. In order to get a 'best estimate' value of the keff, biases of their inventory calculation and individual reactivity worth should be considered in criticality safety studies. This paper enhances the most penalizing bias towards criticality and highlights possible improvements of nuclear data for the 15 fission products (FPs) of PWR-MOx BUC. Concerning the fuel inventory, trends in function of the burnup can be derived from experimental validation of the DARWIN-2.3 package (using the JEFF- 3.1.1/SHEM library). Thanks to the BUC oscillation programme of separated FPs in the MINERVE reactor and fully validated scheme PIMS, calculation over experiment ratios can be accurately transposed to tendencies on the FPs integral cross sections. (authors)

  18. Technical Issues in the development of high burnup and long cycle fuel pellets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Dong Joo; Yang, Jae Ho; Oh, Jang Soo; Kim, Keon Sik; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Jong Hun; Nam, Ik Hui [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-10-15

    Over the last half century, a nuclear fuel cycle, a fuel discharged burnup and a uranium enrichment of the LWR (Light Water Reactor) fuel have continuously increased. It was the efforts to reduce the LWR fuel cycle cost, and to make reactor operation more efficiently. Improved fuel and reactor performance contribute further to the reduction and management efficiency of spent fuels. The primary incentive for operating nuclear reactor fuel to higher burnup and longer cycle is the economic benefits. The fuel cycle costs could be reduced by extending fuel discharged burnup and fuel cycle length. The higher discharged burnup can increase the energy production per unit fuel mass or fuel assembly. The longer fuel cycle can increase reactor operation flexibility and reduce the fuel changing operation and the spent fuel management burden. The margin to storage capacity limits would be also increased because high burnup and long cycle fuel reduces the mass of spent fuels. However, increment of fuel burnup and cycle length might result in the acceleration of material aging consisting fuel assembly. Then, the safety and integrity of nuclear fuel will be degraded. Therefore, to simultaneously enhance the safety and economics of the LWR fuel through the fuel burnup and cycle extension, it is indispensable to develop the innovative nuclear fuel material concepts and technologies which can overcome degradation of fuel safety. New fuel research project to extend fuel discharged burnup and cycle length has been launched in KAERI. Main subject is to develop innovative LWR fuel pellets which can provide required fuel performance and safety at extended fuel burnup and cycle length. In order to achieve the mission, we need to know that what the impediments are and how to break through current limit of fuel pellet properties. In this study, the technical issues related to fuel pellets at high burnup were surveyed and summarized. We have collected the technical issues in the literatures

  19. Technical Issues in the development of high burnup and long cycle fuel pellets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Dong Joo; Yang, Jae Ho; Oh, Jang Soo; Kim, Keon Sik; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Jong Hun; Nam, Ik Hui

    2012-01-01

    Over the last half century, a nuclear fuel cycle, a fuel discharged burnup and a uranium enrichment of the LWR (Light Water Reactor) fuel have continuously increased. It was the efforts to reduce the LWR fuel cycle cost, and to make reactor operation more efficiently. Improved fuel and reactor performance contribute further to the reduction and management efficiency of spent fuels. The primary incentive for operating nuclear reactor fuel to higher burnup and longer cycle is the economic benefits. The fuel cycle costs could be reduced by extending fuel discharged burnup and fuel cycle length. The higher discharged burnup can increase the energy production per unit fuel mass or fuel assembly. The longer fuel cycle can increase reactor operation flexibility and reduce the fuel changing operation and the spent fuel management burden. The margin to storage capacity limits would be also increased because high burnup and long cycle fuel reduces the mass of spent fuels. However, increment of fuel burnup and cycle length might result in the acceleration of material aging consisting fuel assembly. Then, the safety and integrity of nuclear fuel will be degraded. Therefore, to simultaneously enhance the safety and economics of the LWR fuel through the fuel burnup and cycle extension, it is indispensable to develop the innovative nuclear fuel material concepts and technologies which can overcome degradation of fuel safety. New fuel research project to extend fuel discharged burnup and cycle length has been launched in KAERI. Main subject is to develop innovative LWR fuel pellets which can provide required fuel performance and safety at extended fuel burnup and cycle length. In order to achieve the mission, we need to know that what the impediments are and how to break through current limit of fuel pellet properties. In this study, the technical issues related to fuel pellets at high burnup were surveyed and summarized. We have collected the technical issues in the literatures

  20. Investigation of Burnup Credit Issues in BWR Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.; DeHart, M.D.

    1999-01-01

    Calculations for long-term-disposal criticality safety of spent nuclear fuel requires the application of burnup credit because of the large mass of fissile material that will be present in the repository. Burnup credit calculations are based on depletion calculations that provide a conservative estimate of spent fuel contents, followed by criticality calculations to assess the value of keff for a spent fuel cask or a fuel configuration under a variety of probabilistically derived events. In order to ensure that the depletion calculation is conservative, it is necessary to both qualify and quantify assumptions that can be made in depletion models used to characterize spent fuel. Most effort in the United States this decade has focused on burnup issues related to pressurized-water reactors. However, requirements for the permanent disposal of fuel from boiling-water reactors has necessitated development of methods for prediction of spent fuel contents for such fuels. Concomitant with such analyses, validation is also necessary. This paper provides a summary of initial efforts at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to better understand and validate spent fuel analyses for boiling-water-reactor fuel

  1. Extended burnup with SEU fuel in Atucha-1 NPP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez, L.; Casario, J.; Fink, J.; Perez, R.; Higa, M.

    2002-01-01

    Atucha-1 is a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor originally fuelled with natural uranium. Fuel Assemblies consist of 36 fuel rods and the active length is 5300 mm. The total length of the fuel assembly is about 6 m. The average discharge burnup of natural UO 2 fuel is 5900 MWd/tU. After the deregulation of the Argentine electricity market there was an important incentive to reduce the impact of fuel cost on the cost of generation. To keep the competitiveness of the nuclear energy against another sources of electricity it was necessary to reduce the cost of the nuclear fuel. With this objective a program to introduce SEU (0.85 % 235 U) fuel in Atucha-1 was launched in 1993. As a result of this program the average SEU fuel discharge burnup increased to more than 11000 MWd/tU. The first SEU fuels were introduced in Atucha-1 in 1995 and, in the present stage of the program, 71% of core positions are loaded with this type of fuel. This paper describes key aspects of Atucha-1 fuel design and their relevance limiting the burnup extension and shows relevant data regarding the SEU in-reactor performance. At the present time 125 SEU Fuel Assemblies have been irradiated without failures associated with the extended burnup or unfavorable influences on the operation of the power station. (author)

  2. BNFL assessment of methods of attaining high burnup MOX fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, C.; Hesketh, K.W.; Palmer, I.D.

    1998-01-01

    It is clear that in order to maintain competitiveness with UO 2 fuel, the burnups achievable in MOX fuel must be enhanced beyond the levels attainable today. There are two aspects which require attention when studying methods of increased burnups - cladding integrity and fuel performance. Current irradiation experience indicates that one of the main performance issues for MOX fuel is fission gas retention. MOX, with its lower thermal conductivity, runs at higher temperatures than UO 2 fuel; this can result in enhanced fission gas release. This paper explores methods of effectively reducing gas release and thereby improving MOX burnup potential. (author)

  3. Discharge Burnup Evaluation of Natural Uranium Loaded CANFLEX-43 Fuel Bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roh, Gyu Hong; Kim, Yong Hee; Kim, Won Young; Park, Joo Hwan

    2009-11-01

    Using WIMS-AECL code, which is 2-dimensional lattice core used in CANDU physics calculation, the discharge burnup of the natural uranium loaded CANFLEX-43 fuel bundle was evaluated by comparing the discharge burnup of standard 37 element fuel bundle. When the discharge burnup of the standard 37 element fuel is 7,200 MWd/MTU, that of the CANFLEX 43 fuel bundle was evaluated as 7,077 MWd/MTU, by applying the same lattice conditions for both fuel bundles

  4. Nuclear-data uncertainty propagations in burnup calculation for the PWR assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan, Chenghui; Cao, Liangzhi; Wu, Hongchun; Shen, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • The DRAGON 5.0 and NECP-CACTI have been implemented in UNICORN. • The effects of different neutronics methods on S&U results were quantified. • Uncertainty analysis has been applied to burnup calculation of PWR assembly. • The uncertainties of eigenvalue and few-group constants have been quantified. - Abstract: In this paper, our home-developed lattice code NECP-CACTI has been implemented into our UNICORN code to perform sensitivity and uncertainty analysis for the lattice calculations. The verified multigroup cross-section perturbation model and methods of the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis are established and applied to different lattice codes in UNICORN. As DRAGON5.0 and NECP-CACTI are available for the lattice calculations in UNICORN now, the effects of different neutronics methods (including methods for the neutron-transport and resonance self-shielding calculations) on the results of sensitivity and uncertainty analysis were studied in this paper. Based on NECP-CACTI, uncertainty analysis using the statistical sampling method has been performed to the burnup calculation for the fresh-fueled TMI-1 assembly, propagating the nuclear-data uncertainties to k_∞ and two-group constants of the lattice calculation with depletions. As results shown, for different neutronics methods, it can be observed that different methods of the neutron-transport calculation introduce no differences to the results of sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, while different methods of the resonance self-shielding calculation would impact the results. With depletions of the TMI-1 assembly, for k_∞, the relative uncertainty varies between 0.45% and 0.60%; for two-group constants, the largest variation is between 0.35% and 2.56% for vΣ_f_,_2. Moreover, the most significant contributors to the uncertainty of k_∞ and two-group constants varied with depletions are determined.

  5. Technical Development on Burn-up Credit for Spent LWR Fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gauld, I.C.

    2001-12-26

    Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels had been performed at JAERI since 1990 under the contract with Science and Technology Agency of Japan entitled ''Technical Development on Criticality Safety Management for Spent LWR Fuels.'' Main purposes of this work are to obtain the experimental data on criticality properties and isotopic compositions of spent LWR fuels and to verify burnup and criticality calculation codes. In this work three major experiments of exponential experiments for spent fuel assemblies to obtain criticality data, non-destructive gamma-ray measurement of spent fuel rods for evaluating axial burn-up profiles, and destructive analyses of spent fuel samples for determining precise burn-up and isotopic compositions were carried out. The measured data obtained were used for validating calculation codes as well as an examination of criticality safety analyses. Details of the work are described in this report.

  6. Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakahara, Yoshinori; Suyama, Kenya; Suzaki, Takenori

    2000-10-01

    Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels had been performed at JAERI since 1990 under the contract with Science and Technology Agency of Japan entitled 'Technical Development on Criticality Safety Management for Spent LWR Fuels'. Main purposes of this work are to obtain the experimental data on criticality properties and isotopic compositions of spent LWR fuels and to verify burn-up and criticality calculation codes. In this work three major experiments of exponential experiments for spent fuel assemblies to obtain criticality data, non-destructive gamma-ray measurement of spent fuel rods for evaluating axial burn-up profiles, and destructive analyses of spent fuel samples for determining precise burn-up and isotopic compositions were carried out. The measured data obtained were used for validating calculation codes as well as an examination of criticality safety analyses. Details of the work are described in this report. (author)

  7. Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakahara, Yoshinori; Suyama, Kenya; Suzaki, Takenori [eds.] [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2000-10-01

    Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels had been performed at JAERI since 1990 under the contract with Science and Technology Agency of Japan entitled 'Technical Development on Criticality Safety Management for Spent LWR Fuels'. Main purposes of this work are to obtain the experimental data on criticality properties and isotopic compositions of spent LWR fuels and to verify burn-up and criticality calculation codes. In this work three major experiments of exponential experiments for spent fuel assemblies to obtain criticality data, non-destructive gamma-ray measurement of spent fuel rods for evaluating axial burn-up profiles, and destructive analyses of spent fuel samples for determining precise burn-up and isotopic compositions were carried out. The measured data obtained were used for validating calculation codes as well as an examination of criticality safety analyses. Details of the work are described in this report. (author)

  8. Safety aspects related to burnup increase and mixed oxide fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, W.

    1992-01-01

    The dominant factor presently limiting the fuel burnup is the response of the cladding hulls. To maintain the excellent record of very low fuel failure rates for increased burnups further technical development is underway and necessary. In the nuclear fuel cycle increased burnups lead to a remarkable reduction of spent fuel arisings and corresponding economic savings. Thermal recycling of plutonium presently provides an opportunity to reduce the rising accumulation of plutunium in a situation where there is no demand for this fissile material in Fast Breeder Reactors. (orig.) [de

  9. Implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyck, H.P.

    2001-01-01

    Improved calculational methods allow one to take credit for the reactivity reduction associated with fuel burnup. This means reducing the analysis conservatism while maintaining an adequate safety margin. The motivation for using burnup credit in criticality safety applications is based on economic considerations and additional benefits contributing to public health and safety and resource conservation. Interest in the implementation of burnup credit has been shown by many countries. In 1997, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) started a task to monitor the implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems, to provide a forum to exchange information, to discuss the matter and to gather and disseminate information on the status of national practices of burnup credit implementation in the Member States. The task addresses current and future aspects of burnup credit. This task was continued during the following years. (author)

  10. Fuel cycle cost considerations of increased discharge burnups

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scherpereel, L.R.; Frank, F.J.

    1982-01-01

    Evaluations are presented that indicate the attainment of increased discharge burnups in light water reactors will depend on economic factors particular to individual operators. In addition to pure resource conserving effects and assuming continued reliable fuel performance, a substantial economic incentive must exist to justify the longer operating times necessary to achieve higher burnups. Whether such incentive will exist or not will depend on relative price levels of all fuel cycle cost components, utility operating practices, and resolution of uncertainties associated with the back-end of the fuel cycle. It is concluded that implementation of increased burnups will continue at a graduated pace similar to past experience, rather than finding universal acceptance of particular increased levels at any particular time

  11. Validation of gadolinium burnout using PWR benchmark specification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oettingen, Mikołaj, E-mail: moettin@agh.edu.pl; Cetnar, Jerzy, E-mail: cetnar@mail.ftj.agh.edu.pl

    2014-07-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We present methodology for validation of gadolinium burnout in PWR. • We model 17 × 17 PWR fuel assembly using MCB code. • We demonstrate C/E ratios of measured and calculated concentrations of Gd isotopes. • The C/E for Gd154, Gd156, Gd157, Gd158 and Gd160 shows good agreement of ±10%. • The C/E for Gd152 and Gd155 shows poor agreement below ±10%. - Abstract: The paper presents comparative analysis of measured and calculated concentrations of gadolinium isotopes in spent nuclear fuel from the Japanese Ohi-2 PWR. The irradiation of the 17 × 17 fuel assembly containing pure uranium and gadolinia bearing fuel pins was numerically reconstructed using the Monte Carlo Continuous Energy Burnup Code – MCB. The reference concentrations of gadolinium isotopes were measured in early 1990s at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. It seems that the measured concentrations were never used for validation of gadolinium burnout. In our study we fill this gap and assess quality of both: applied numerical methodology and experimental data. Additionally we show time evolutions of infinite neutron multiplication factor K{sub inf}, FIMA burnup, U235 and Gd155–Gd158. Gadolinium-based materials are commonly used in thermal reactors as burnable absorbers due to large neutron absorption cross-section of Gd155 and Gd157.

  12. Design and manufacturing of non-instrumented capsule for advanced PWR fuel pellet irradiation test in HANARO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, D. H.; Lee, C. B.; Song, K. W. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

    2002-04-01

    This project is preparing to irradiation test of the developed large grain UO{sub 2} fuel pellet in HANARO for pursuit fuel safety and high burn-up in 'Advanced LWR Fuel Technology Development Project' as a part Nuclear Mid and Long-term R and D Program. On the basis test rod is performed the nuclei property and preliminary fuel performance analysis, test rod and non-instrumented capsule are designed and manufactured for irradiation test in HANARO. This non-instrumented irradiation capsule of Advanced PWR Fuel pellet was referred the non-instrumented capsule for an irradiation test of simulated DUPIC fuel in HANARO(DUPIC Rig-001) and 18-element HANARO fuel, was designed to ensure the integrity and the endurance of non-instrumented capsule during the long term(2.5 years) irradiation. To irradiate the UO{sub 2} pellets up to the burn-up 70 MWD/kgU, need the time about 60 months and ensure the integrity of non-instrumented capsule for 30 months until replace the new capsule. This non-instrumented irradiation capsule will be based to develope the non-instrumented capsule for the more long term irradiation in HANARO. 22 refs., 13 figs., 5 tabs. (Author)

  13. Modelling of phenomena associated with high burnup fuel behaviour during overpower transients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sills, H.E.; Langman, V.J.; Iglesias, F.C.

    1995-01-01

    Phenomena of importance to the behaviour of high burnup fuel subjected to conditions of rapid overpower (i.e., LWR RIAs) include the change in cladding material properties due to irradiation, pellet-clad interaction (PCI) and 'rim' effects associated with the periphery of high burnup fuel. 'Rim' effects are postulated to be caused by changes in fuel morphology at high burnup. Typical discharge burnups for CANDU fuel are low compared to LWRs. Maximum linear ratings for CANDU fuel are higher than those for LWRs. However, under normal operating conditions, the Zircaloy-4 clad of the CANDU fuel is collapsed onto the fuel stack. Thus, the CANDU fuel performance codes model the transient behaviour of the fuel-to-clad interface and are capable of assessing the potential for pellet-clad mechanical interaction (PCMI) failures for a wide range of overpower conditions. This report provides a discussion of the modelling of the phenomena of importance to high burnup fuel behaviour during rapid overpower transients. (author)

  14. Comprehensive exergetic and economic comparison of PWR and hybrid fossil fuel-PWR power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sayyaadi, Hoseyn; Sabzaligol, Tooraj

    2010-01-01

    A typical 1000 MW Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant and two similar hybrid 1000 MW PWR plants operate with natural gas and coal fired fossil fuel superheater-economizers (Hybrid PWR-Fossil fuel plants) are compared exergetically and economically. Comparison is performed based on energetic and economic features of three systems. In order to compare system at their optimum operating point, three workable base case systems including the conventional PWR, and gas and coal fired hybrid PWR-Fossil fuel power plants considered and optimized in exergetic and exergoeconomic optimization scenarios, separately. The thermodynamic modeling of three systems is performed based on energy and exergy analyses, while an economic model is developed according to the exergoeconomic analysis and Total Revenue Requirement (TRR) method. The objective functions based on exergetic and exergoeconomic analyses are developed. The exergetic and exergoeconomic optimizations are performed using the Genetic Algorithm (GA). Energetic and economic features of exergetic and exergoeconomic optimized conventional PWR and gas and coal fired Hybrid PWR-Fossil fuel power plants are compared and discussed comprehensively.

  15. TRIGA fuel element burnup determination by measurement and calculation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zagar, T.; Ravnik, M.; Persic, A.; Jeraj, R.

    2000-01-01

    To estimate the accuracy of the fuel element burnup calculation different factors influencing the calculation were studied. To cover different aspects of burnup calculations, two in-house developed computer codes were used in calculations. The first (TRIGAP) is based on a one-dimensional two-group diffusion approximation, and the second (TRIGLAV) is based on a two-dimensional four-group diffusion equation. Both codes use WIMSD program with different libraries forunit-cell cross section data calculation. The burnup accumulated during the operating history of the TRIGA reactor at Josef Stefan Institute was calculated for all fuel elements. Elements used in the core during this period were standard SS 8.5% fuel elements, standard SS 12% fuel elements and highly enriched FLIP fuel elements. During the considerable period of operational history, FLIP and standard fuel elements were used simultaneously in mixed cores. (authors)

  16. Fuel element burnup measurements for the equilibrium LEU silicide RSG GAS (MPR-30) core under a new fuel management strategy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinem, Surian; Liem, Peng Hong; Sembiring, Tagor Malem; Surbakti, Tukiran

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Burnup measurement of fuel elements comprising the new equilibrium LEU silicide core of RSG GAS. • The burnup measurement method is based on a linear relationship between reactivity and burnup. • Burnup verification was conducted using an in-house, in-core fuel management code BATAN-FUEL. • A good agreement between the measured and calculated burnup was confirmed. • The new fuel management strategy was confirmed and validated. - Abstract: After the equilibrium LEU silicide core of RSG GAS was achieved, there was a strong need to validate the new fuel management strategy by measuring burnup of fuel elements comprising the core. Since the regulatory body had a great concern on the safety limit of the silicide fuel element burnup, amongst the 35 burnt fuel elements we selected 22 fuel elements with high burnup classes i.e. from 20 to 53% loss of U-235 (declared values) for the present measurements. The burnup measurement method was based on a linear relationship between reactivity and burnup where the measurements were conducted under subcritical conditions using two fission counters of the reactor startup channel. The measurement results were compared with the declared burnup evaluated by an in-house in-core fuel management code, BATAN-FUEL. A good agreement between the measured burnup values and the calculated ones was found within 8% uncertainties. Possible major sources of differences were identified, i.e. large statistical errors (i.e. low fission counters’ count rates), variation of initial U-235 loading per fuel element and accuracy of control rod indicators. The measured burnup of the 22 fuel elements provided the confirmation of the core burnup distribution planned for the equilibrium LEU silicide core under the new fuel management strategy.

  17. Ultrasonic measurement of high burn-up fuel elastic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laux, D.; Despaux, G.; Augereau, F.; Attal, J.; Gatt, J.; Basini, V.

    2006-01-01

    The ultrasonic method developed for the evaluation of high burn-up fuel elastic properties is presented hereafter. The objective of the method is to provide data for fuel thermo-mechanical calculation codes in order to improve industrial nuclear fuel and materials or to design new reactor components. The need for data is especially crucial for high burn-up fuel modelling for which the fuel mechanical properties are essential and for which a wide range of experiments in MTR reactors and high burn-up commercial reactor fuel examinations have been included in programmes worldwide. To contribute to the acquisition of this knowledge the LAIN activity is developing in two directions. First one is development of an ultrasonic focused technique adapted to active materials study. This technique was used few years ago in the EdF laboratory in Chinon to assess the ageing of materials under irradiation. It is now used in a hot cell at ITU Karlsruhe to determine the elastic moduli of high burnup fuels from 0 to 110 GWd/tU. Some of this work is presented here. The second on going programme is related to the qualification of acoustic sensors in nuclear environments, which is of a great interest for all the methods, which work, in a hostile nuclear environment

  18. Reactivity Impact of Difference of Nuclear Data Library for PWR Fuel Assembly Calculation by Using AEGIS Code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohoka, Yasunori; Tatsumi, Masahiro; Sugimura, Naoki; Tabuchi, Masato

    2011-01-01

    In 2010, the latest version of the Japanese Evaluated Nuclear Data Library (JENDL-4.0) has been released by JAEA. JENDL-4.0 is major update from JENDL- 3.3, and confirmed to give good accuracy by integral test for fission reactor systems such as fast neutron system and thermal neutron system. In this study, we evaluated the reactivity impact due to difference between ENDF/B-VII.0 and JENDL-4.0 for PWR fuel assembly burnup calculation using AEGIS code which has been developed by Nuclear Engineering, Ltd. in cooperation with Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. and Nagoya University

  19. A simulation of the temperature overshoot observed at high burnup in annular fuel pellets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baron, D [Electricite de France, Moret-sur-Loing (France); Couty, J C [Electricite de France (EDF), 69 - Villeurbanne (France)

    1997-08-01

    Instrumented experiments have been carried out in recent years to calibrate and improve temperature calculations at high burnup in PWR nuclear fuel rods. The introduction of a thermocouple in the fuel stack allows the experiment to record the centre-line temperature all along the irradiation or re-irradiation. The results obtained on fresh fuel have not revealed any abnormal behavior as have observations done on high burnup rods. In this case, a sudden overshoot has been recorded on the thermocouple temperature above an average power threshold. Several hypotheses have been suggested. Only two seem to be acceptable: one in relation to an effect of grain decohesion, another based on a modification of fuel chemistry. The apparent reversibility of the phenomena when power decreases led us to prefer the first explanation. Indeed, the introduction of a thermocouple means that annular fuel pellets must be used. These are either initially manufactured with a central hole or drilled after base irradiation, using the ``RISOE`` technique. One must bear in mind that the use of such annular pellets drastically changes the crack pattern as irradiation proceeds. This is due to a different stress field which, combined with a weakening of the grain binding energy, leads to a partial grain decohesion on the inner face of the annular pellet. Modification of the grain binding energy is related to the presence of an increasing local population of gas bubbles and metallic precipitates at grain boundaries, as swelling creates intergranular local stresses which also could probably enhance the grain decohesion process. This grain decohesion concerns a 250 to 350 {mu}m depth and shows a narrow cracks network through which released fission gas can flow, temporarily pushing the resident helium gas out. The low conductivity of these gaseous fission products and the numerous gas layers created this way could partly explain the unexpected temperatures measured in high burnup fuels. (Abstract

  20. A simulation of the temperature overshoot observed at high burnup in annular fuel pellets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baron, D.; Couty, J.C.

    1997-01-01

    Instrumented experiments have been carried out in recent years to calibrate and improve temperature calculations at high burnup in PWR nuclear fuel rods. The introduction of a thermocouple in the fuel stack allows the experiment to record the centre-line temperature all along the irradiation or re-irradiation. The results obtained on fresh fuel have not revealed any abnormal behavior as have observations done on high burnup rods. In this case, a sudden overshoot has been recorded on the thermocouple temperature above an average power threshold. Several hypotheses have been suggested. Only two seem to be acceptable: one in relation to an effect of grain decohesion, another based on a modification of fuel chemistry. The apparent reversibility of the phenomena when power decreases led us to prefer the first explanation. Indeed, the introduction of a thermocouple means that annular fuel pellets must be used. These are either initially manufactured with a central hole or drilled after base irradiation, using the ''RISOE'' technique. One must bear in mind that the use of such annular pellets drastically changes the crack pattern as irradiation proceeds. This is due to a different stress field which, combined with a weakening of the grain binding energy, leads to a partial grain decohesion on the inner face of the annular pellet. Modification of the grain binding energy is related to the presence of an increasing local population of gas bubbles and metallic precipitates at grain boundaries, as swelling creates intergranular local stresses which also could probably enhance the grain decohesion process. This grain decohesion concerns a 250 to 350 μm depth and shows a narrow cracks network through which released fission gas can flow, temporarily pushing the resident helium gas out. The low conductivity of these gaseous fission products and the numerous gas layers created this way could partly explain the unexpected temperatures measured in high burnup fuels. The purpose of

  1. Fuel element burnup determination in HEU-LEU mixed TRIGA research reactor core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zagar, Tomaz; Ravnik, Matjaz

    2000-01-01

    This paper presents the results of a burnup calculations and burnup measurements for TRIGA FLIP HEU fuel elements and standard TRIGA LEU fuel elements used simultaneously in small TRIGA Mark II research reactor in Ljubljana, Slovenija. The fuel element burnup for approximately 15 years of operation was calculated with two different in house computer codes TRIGAP and TRIGLAV (both codes are available at OECD NEA Data Bank). The calculation is performed in one-dimensional radial geometry in TRIGAP and in two-dimensional (r,φ) geometry in TRIGLAV. Inter-comparison of results shows important influence of in-core water gaps, irradiation channels and mixed rings on burnup calculation accuracy. Burnup of 5 HEU and 27 LEU fuel elements was also measured with reactivity method. Measured and calculated burnup values are inter-compared for these elements (author)

  2. Burnup measurements of leader fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henriquez, C; Navarro, G; Pereda, C

    2000-01-01

    Some time ago the CCHEN authorities decided to produce a set of 50 low enrichment fuel elements. These elements were produced in the PEC (Fuel Elements Plant), located at CCHEN offices in Lo Aguirre. These new fuel elements have basically the same geometrical characteristics of previous ones, which were British and made with raw material from the U.S. The principal differences between our fuel elements and the British ones is the density of fissile material, U-235, which was increased to compensate the reduction in enrichment. Last year, the Fuel Elements Plant (PEC) delivered the shipment's first four (4) fuel elements, called leaders, to the RECH1. A test element was delivered too, and the complete set was introduced into the reactor's nucleus, following the normal routine, but performing a special follow-up on their behavior inside the nucleus. This experimental element has only one outside fuel plate, and the remaining (15) structural plates are aluminum. In order to study the burnup, the test element was taken out of the nucleus, in mid- November 1999, and left to decay until June 2000, when it was moved to the laboratory (High Activity Cell), to start the burnup measurements, with a gamma spectroscopy system. This work aims to show the results of these measurements and in addition to meet the following objectives: (a) Visual test of the plate's general condition; (b) Sipping test of fission products; (c) Study of burn-up distribution in the plate; (d) Check and improve the calculus algorithm; (e) Comparison of the results obtained from the spectroscopy with the ones from neutron calculus

  3. Determination of burn-up of irradiated nuclear fuels using mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jagadish Kumar, S.; Telmore, V.M.; Shah, R.V.; Sasi Bhushan, K.; Paul, Sumana; Kumar, Pranaw; Rao, Radhika M.; Jaison, P.G.

    2017-01-01

    Burn-up defined as the atom percent fission, is a vital parameter used for assessing the performance of nuclear fuel during its irradiation in the reactor. Accurate data on the actinide isotopes are also essential for the reliable accountability of nuclear materials and for nuclear safeguards. Both destructive and non-destructive methods are employed in the post-irradiation analysis for the burn-up measurements. Though non-destructive methods are preferred from the point view of remote handling of irradiated fuels with high radioactivity, they do not provide the high accuracy as achieved by the chemical analysis methods. Thus destructive radiochemical and chemical analyses are still the established reference methods for accurate and reliable burn-up determination of irradiated nuclear fuels. In the destructive method, burn-up of irradiated nuclear fuel is determined by correlating the amount of a fission product formed during irradiation with that of heavy elements. Thus the destructive experimental determination of burn-up involves the dissolution of irradiated fuel samples followed by the separation and determination of heavy elements and fission product(s) to be used as burn-up monitor(s). Another approach for the experimental determination of burn-up is based on the changes in the abundances of the heavy element isotopes. A widely accepted method for burn-up determination is based on stable "1"4"8Nd and "1"3"9La as burn-up monitors. Several properties such as non-volatility, nearly same yields for thermal fissions of "2"3"5U and "2"3"9Pu etc justifies the selection of "1"4"8Nd as a burn-up monitor

  4. High burn-up structure in nuclear fuel: impact on fuel behavior - 4005

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noirot, J.; Pontillon, Y.; Zacharie-Aubrun, I.; Hanifi, K.; Bienvenu, P.; Lamontagne, J.; Desgranges, L.

    2016-01-01

    When UO 2 and (U,Pu)O 2 fuels locally reach high burn-up, a major change in the microstructure takes place. The initial grains are replaced by thousands of much smaller grains, fission gases form micrometric bubbles and metallic fission products form precipitates. This occurs typically at the rim of the pellets and in heterogeneous MOX fuel Pu rich agglomerates. The high burn-up at the rim of the pellets is due to a high capture of epithermal neutrons by 238 U leading locally to a higher concentration of fissile Pu than in the rest of the pellet. In the heterogeneous MOX fuels, this rim effect is also active, but most of the high burn-up structure (HBS) formation is linked to the high local concentration of fissile Pu in the Pu agglomerates. This Pu distribution leads to sharp borders between HBS and non-HBS areas. It has been shown that the size of the new grains, of the bubbles and of the precipitates increase with the irradiation local temperatures. Other parameters have been shown to have an influence on the HBS initiation threshold, such as the irradiation density rate, the fuel composition with an effect of the Pu presence, but also of the Gd concentration in poisoned fuels, some of the studied additives, like Cr, and, maybe some of the impurities. It has been shown by indirect and direct approaches that HBS formation is not the main contributor to the increase of fission gas release at high burn-up and that the HBS areas are not the main source of the released gases. The impact of HBS on the fuel behavior during ramp on high burn-up fuels is still unclear. This short paper is followed by the slides of the presentation

  5. A Criticality Evaluation of the GBC-32 Dry Storage Cask in PWR Burnup Credit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Hyoungju; Park, Kwangheon; Hong, Ser Gi [Kyung Hee Univ., Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    The current criticality safety evaluation assumes the only unirradiated fresh fuels with the maximum enrichment in a dry storage cask (DSC) for conservatism without consideration of the depletion of fissile nuclides and the generation of neutron-absorbing fission products. However, the large conservatism leads to the significant increase of the storage casks required. Thus, the application of burnup credit which takes credit for the reduction of reactivity resulted from fuel depletion can increase the capacity in storage casks. On the other hand, the burnup credit application introduces lots of complexity into a criticality safety analysis such as the accurate estimation of the isotopic inventories and the burnup of UNFs and the validation of the criticality calculation. The criticality evaluation with an effect of burnup credit was performed for the DSC of GBC-32 by using SCALE 6.1/STARBUCS. keff values were calculated as a function of burnup and cooling time for four initial enrichments of 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt. % 235U. The values were calculated for the burnup range of 0 to 60,000 MWD/MTU, in increments of 10,000 MWD/MTU, and for five cooling times of 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 years.

  6. Nuclear fuel behaviour modelling at high burnup and its experimental support. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-07-01

    of MOX behaviour up to that for UO 2 fuel. There appears to be a good consensus on how MOX fuel performance differs from UO 2 , and on the issues that need to be addressed to achieve higher burnups. The final sessions of the TCM considered the current status of integrated fuel behaviour codes and the challenges for higher burnup modelling. The meeting provided a valuable forum for a review of the state-of-the-art. Presentations were given on a number of existing codes and others under development, covering PWR, WWER, BWR and CANDU fuel performance. Some specialised methods for specific advanced fuel types were also discussed. Recommendations on future work in the area of fission gas release; clad modelling; and MOX fuel modelling are included

  7. Criticality reference benchmark calculations for burnup credit using spent fuel isotopics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowman, S.M.

    1991-04-01

    To date, criticality analyses performed in support of the certification of spent fuel casks in the United States do not take credit for the reactivity reduction that results from burnup. By taking credit for the fuel burnup, commonly referred to as ''burnup credit,'' the fuel loading capacity of these casks can be increased. One of the difficulties in implementing burnup credit in criticality analyses is that there have been no critical experiments performed with spent fuel which can be used for computer code validation. In lieu of that, a reference problem set of fresh fuel critical experiments which model various conditions typical of light water reactor (LWR) transportation and storage casks has been identified and used in the validation of SCALE-4. This report documents the use of this same problem set to perform spent fuel criticality benchmark calculations by replacing the actual fresh fuel isotopics from the experiments with six different sets of calculated spent fuel isotopics. The SCALE-4 modules SAS2H and CSAS4 were used to perform the analyses. These calculations do not model actual critical experiments. The calculated k-effectives are not supposed to equal unity and will vary depending on the initial enrichment and burnup of the calculated spent fuel isotopics. 12 refs., 11 tabs

  8. The study on radioactivity reduction of spent PWR cladding hull

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, I. H.; Kim, J. H.; Park, C. J.; Jung, Y. H.; Song, K. C.; Lee, J. W.; Park, J. J.; Yang, M. S.

    2003-01-01

    Hull arising from the spent PWR fuel elements is classified as a high-level radioactive waste. This report describes the radio-chemical characteristics of the hull-from PWR spent fuel of 32,000MWd/tU burn-up and 15 years cooling, discharged from Gori Unit I cycled 4-7-by examination and literature survey. On the basis of the results, a method of degradation to middle and low-level radioactive waste was proposed by dry process such as laser or plasma technique with removing the nuclides deposited on the surface of the hull

  9. Study of development of non-destructive method for determining FGR from high burned PWR type fuel rod

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanagisawa, Kazuaki; Miyanishi, Hideyuki; Kitagawa, Isamu; Iida, Shozo; Ito, Tadaharu; Amano, Hidetoshi.

    1991-11-01

    Experimental study was made to evaluate the FGR (Fission Product Gas Release) from high burned PWR type fuel rods by means of non-destructive method through measurement of the gamma activity of 85 Kr isotope which was accumulated in the fuel top plenum. Experimental result shows that it is possible to know the amounts of FGR at fuel plenum by the equations given in the followings. FGR = 0.28C/V f or FGR = 0.07C where, FGR (%) is the amounts of Xe and Kr released from UO 2 fuel, C (counts/h) the radioactivity of 85 Kr at plenum of the tested fuel rod and V f (ml) the plenum volume of the tested fuel rod, respectively. The present study was made by using 14 x 14 PWR type fuel rods preirradiated up to the burn-up of 42.1 MWd/kgU, followed by the pulse irradiation at Nuclear Safety Research Reactor of Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The FGR of the tested segmented fuel rods were measured by puncturing and found to range from 0.6% to 12% according to the magnitude of the deposited energy given by pulse. Estimated experimental error bands against the above equations were within plus minus 30%. (author)

  10. Re-evaluation of Assay Data of Spent Nuclear Fuel obtained at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute for validation of burnup calculation code systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suyama, Kenya, E-mail: suyama.kenya@jaea.go.jp [Office of International Relations, Nuclear Safety Division, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - Japan, 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8959 (Japan); Murazaki, Minoru; Ohkubo, Kiyoshi [Fuel Cycle Safety Research Group, Nuclear Safety Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata Shirane, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Nakahara, Yoshinori [Research Group for Analytical Science, Nuclear Science and Engineering Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata Shirane, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Uchiyama, Gunzo [Fuel Cycle Safety Research Group, Nuclear Safety Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata Shirane, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan)

    2011-05-15

    Highlights: > The specifications required for the analyses of the destructive assay data taken from irradiated fuel in Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 PWRs were documented in this paper. > These data were analyzed using the SWAT2.1 code, and the calculation results showed good agreement with experimental results. > These destructive assay data are suitable for the benchmarking of the burnup calculation code systems. - Abstract: The isotopic composition of spent nuclear fuels is vital data for studies on the nuclear fuel cycle and reactor physics. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been active in obtaining such data for pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) fuels, and some data has already been published. These data have been registered with the international Spent Fuel Isotopic Composition Database (SFCOMPO) and widely used as international benchmarks for burnup calculation codes and libraries. In this paper, Assay Data of Spent Nuclear Fuel from two fuel assemblies irradiated in the Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 PWRs in Japan are shown. The destructive assay data from Ohi-2 have already been published. However, these data were not suitable for the benchmarking of calculation codes and libraries because several important specifications and data were not included. This paper summarizes the details of destructive assay data and specifications required for analyses of isotopic composition from Ohi-1 and Ohi-2. For precise burnup analyses, the burnup values of destructive assay samples were re-evaluated in this study. These destructive assay data were analyzed using the SWAT2.1 code, and the calculation results showed good agreement with experimental results. This indicates that the quality of destructive assay data from Ohi-1 and Ohi-2 PWRs is high, and that these destructive assay data are suitable for the benchmarking of burnup calculation code systems.

  11. PWR fuel physico chemistry. Improvements of the Sage code to compute thermochemical balance in PWR fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, P.; Baron, D.; Piron, J.P.

    1993-02-01

    A physicochemical survey of high burnup fuel has been undertaken in the context of a 3-party action (CEA Cadarache - EDF/DER - FRAMATOME). One of the tasks involved consists in adapting the SAGE code for assessment of the thermochemical equilibria of fission products in solution in the fuel matrix. This paper describes the first stage of this task. Even if other improvements are planned, the oxid oxygen potentials are yet properly reproduced for the simulated burnup. (authors). 63 figs., 4 tabs., 41 refs

  12. Determination of enrichment of recycle uranium fuels for different burnup values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zabunoglu, Okan H.

    2008-01-01

    Uranium (U) recovered from spent LWR fuels by reprocessing, which contains small amounts of U-236, is to be enriched before being re-irradiated as the recycle U. During the enrichment of recovered U in U-235, the mass fraction of U-236 also increases. Since the existence of U-236 in the recycle U has a negative effect on neutron economy, a greater enrichment of U-235 in the recycle U is required for reaching the same burnup as can be reached by the fresh U fuel. Two burnup values play the most important role in determining the enrichment of recycle U: (1) discharge burnup of spent fuel from which the recycle U is obtained and (2) desired discharge burnup of the recycle U fuel. A step-by-step procedure for calculating the enrichment of the recycle U as a function of these two burnup values is introduced. The computer codes MONTEBURNS and ORIGEN-S are made use of and a three-component (U-235, U-236, U-238) enrichment scheme is applied for calculating the amount of U-236 in producing the recycle U from the recovered U. As was aimed, the resulting expression is simple enough for quick/hand calculations of the enrichment of the recycle U for any given discharge burnup of spent fuel and for any desired discharge burnup of the recycle U fuel, most accurately within the range of 33,000-50,000 MWd/tonU

  13. Burnup performance of rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel in small pebble bed reactor with accumulative fuel loading scheme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simanullang, Irwan Liapto; Obara, Toru

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Burnup performance using ROX fuel in PBR with accumulative fuel loading scheme was analyzed. • Initial excess reactivity was suppressed by reducing 235 U enrichment in the startup condition. • Negative temperature coefficient was achieved in all condition of PBR with accumulative fuel loading scheme using ROX fuel. • Core lifetime of PBR with accumulative fuel loading scheme using ROX fuel was shorter than with UO 2 fuel. • In PBR with accumulative fuel loading scheme using ROX fuel, achieved discharged burnup can be as high as that for UO 2 fuel. - Abstract: The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has proposed rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel as a new, once-through type fuel concept. Here, burnup performance using ROX fuel was simulated in a pebble bed reactor with an accumulative fuel loading scheme. The MVP-BURN code was used to simulate the burnup calculation. Fuel of 5 g-HM/pebble with 20% 235 U enrichment was selected as the optimum composition. Discharged burnup could reach up to 218 GWd/t, with a core lifetime of about 8.4 years. However, high excess reactivity occurred in the initial condition. Initial fuel enrichment was therefore reduced from 20% to 4.65% to counter the initial excess reactivity. The operation period was reduced by the decrease of initial fuel enrichment, but the maximum discharged burnup was 198 GWd/t. Burnup performance of ROX fuel in this reactor concept was compared with that of UO 2 fuel obtained previously. Discharged burnup for ROX fuel in the PBR with an accumulative fuel loading scheme was as high as UO 2 fuel. Maximum power density could be lowered by introducing ROX fuel compared to UO 2 fuel. However, PBR core lifetime was shorter with ROX fuel than with UO 2 fuel. A negative temperature coefficient was achieved for both UO 2 and ROX fuels throughout the operation period.

  14. Simulation of integral local tests with high-burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gyori, G.

    2011-01-01

    The behaviour of nuclear fuel under LOCA conditions may strongly depend on the burnup-dependent fuel characteristics, as it has been indicated by recent integral experiments. Fuel fragmentation and the associated fission gas release can influence the integral fuel behaviour, the rod rupture and the radiological release. The TRANSURANUS fuel performance code is a proper tool for the consistent simulation of burnup-dependent phenomena during normal operation and the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the fuel rod in a subsequent accident. The code has been extended with an empirical model for micro-cracking induced FGR and fuel fragmentation and verified against integral LOCA tests of international projects. (author)

  15. Achieving High Burnup Targets With Mox Fuels: Techno Economic Implications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clement Ravi Chandar, S.; Sivayya, D.N.; Puthiyavinayagam, P.; Chellapandi, P.

    2013-01-01

    For a typical MOX fuelled SFR of power reactor size, Implications due to higher burnup have been quantified. Advantages: – Improvement in the economy is seen upto 200 GWd/ t; Disadvantages: – Design changes > 150 GWd/ t bu; – Need for 8/ 16 more fuel SA at 150/ 200 GWd/ t bu; – Higher enrichment of B 4 C in CSR/ DSR at higher bu; – Reduction in LHR may be required at higher bu; – Structural material changes beyond 150 GWd/ t bu; – Reprocessing point of view-Sp Activity & Decay heat increase. Need for R & D is a must before increasing burnup. bu- refers burnup. Efforts to increase MOX fuel burnup beyond 200 GWd/ t may not be highly lucrative; • MOX fuelled FBR would be restricted to two or four further reactors; • Imported MOX fuelled FBRs may be considered; • India looks towards launching metal fuel FBRs in the future. – Due to high Breeding Ratio; – High burnup capability

  16. Thermal conductivity evaluation of high burnup mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel pellet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaya, Masaki; Nakamura, Jinichi; Nagase, Fumihisa; Fuketa, Toyoshi

    2011-01-01

    The thermal conductivity formula of fuel pellet which contains the effects of burnup and plutonium (Pu) addition was proposed based on the Klemens' theory and reported thermal conductivities of unirradiated (U, Pu) O 2 and irradiated UO 2 pellets. The thermal conductivity of high burnup MOX pellet was formulated by applying a summation rule between phonon scattering parameters which show the effects of plutonium addition and burnup. Temperature of high burnup MOX fuel was evaluated based on the thermal conductivity integral which was calculated from the above-mentioned thermal conductivity formula. Calculated fuel temperatures were plotted against the linear heat rates of the fuel rods, and were compared with the fuel temperatures measured in a test reactor. Since both values agreed well, it was confirmed that the proposed thermal conductivity formula of MOX pellets is adequate.

  17. Impact of extended burnup on the nuclear fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-04-01

    The Advisory Group Meeting was held in Vienna from 2 to 5 December 1991, to review, analyse, and discuss the effects of burnup extension in both light and heavy water reactors on all aspects of the fuel cycle. Twenty experts from thirteen countries participated in this meeting. There was consensus that both economic and environmental benefits are driving forces toward the achievement of higher burnups and that the present trend of burnup extension may be expected to continue. The extended burnup has been considered for the three main stages of the fuel cycle: the front end, in-reactor issues and the back end. Thirteen papers were presented. A separate abstract was prepared for each of these papers. Refs, figs and tabs

  18. Application of burnup credit in spent fuel management at Russian NPPs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koulikov, V.I.; Makarchuk, T.F.; Tikhonov, N.S.

    1998-01-01

    The article concerns implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel storage and transportation. Some of the problems with increased enrichment fuel can be resolved by use of modified transport methodology. Such as shipping in gas-filled casks only, reduced number of assemblies in casks, etc. However, the use of modified schemes of transportation results in essential financial losses. An actinide-only burnup credit is taken into account in most part of criticality calculations, and a parameter limiting loading of spent fuel in the cask or the repository is the avenge value of burnup on an assembly. The main method of burnup depth definition is its defect measurement. A short description of devices for measurement as well as some technical results of suing burnup credit approach in storage and transport are given. (author)

  19. Out-pile test of non-instrumented capsule for the advanced PWR fuel pellets in HANARO irradiation test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, D. H.; Lee, C. B.; Oh, D. S.; Bang, J. K.; Kim, Y. M.; Yang, Y. S.; Jeong, Y. H.; Jeon, H. K.; Ryu, J. S. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2002-05-01

    Non-instrumental capsule were designed and fabricated to irradiate the advanced pellet developed for the high burn-up LWR fuel in the HANARO in-pile capsule. This capsule was out-pie tested at Cold Test Loop-I in KAERI. From the pressure drop test results, it is noted that the flow velocity across the non-instrumented capsule of advanced PWR fuel pellet corresponding to the pressure drop of 200 kPa is measured to be about 7.45 kg/sec. Vibration frequency for the capsule ranges from 13.0 to 32.3 Hz. RMS displacement for non-instrumented capsule of advanced PWR fuel pellet is less than 11.6 {mu}m, and the maximum displacement is less that 30.5 {mu}m. The flow rate for endurance test were 8.19 kg/s, which was 110% of 7.45 kg/s. And the endurance test was carried out for 100 days and 17 hours. The test results found not to the wear satisfied to the limits of pressure drop, flow rate, vibration and wear in the non-instrumented capsule.

  20. The improvement of performances for PWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debes

    2001-01-01

    UO 2 fuels used in French nuclear power plants are authorized for values of burn-ups up to 52 GWj/t. Constant technological progress concerning pellets, cladding, and the design of the assembly has led to better performance and a broader safety margin. EDF is gathering all the elements to qualify and back its demand to increase the limit burn-up to 65 GWj/t in 2004 and to 70 GWj/t in 2008. For the same amount of energy produced, this policy of higher burn-ups will allow: - a reduction of the number of spent fuel assemblies, - a direct economic spare by using less fuel assemblies, - a reduction of personnel dosimetry because of longer irradiation campaigns, and - less quantity of residual plutonium produced. (A.C.)

  1. Development of an advanced 16x165 Westinghouse type PWR fuel assembly for Slovenia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boone, M. L.; King, S. J.; Pulver, E. F.; Jeon, K.-L.; Esteves, R.; Kurincic, B.

    2004-01-01

    Industrias Nucleares do Brasil (INB), KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company, Ltd. (KNFC), and Westinghouse Electric Company (Westinghouse) have jointly designed an advanced 16x16 Westinghouse type PWR fuel assembly. This advanced 16x16 Westinghouse type PWR fuel assembly, which will be implemented in both Kori Unit 2 (in Korea) and Angra Unit 1 (in Brazil) in January and March 2005, respectively, is an integral part of the utilities fuel management strategy. This same fuel design has also been developed for future use in Krsko Unit 1 (in Slovenia). In this paper we will describe the front-end nuclear fuel management activities utilized by the joint development team and describe how these activities played an integral part in defining the direction of the advanced 16x16 Westinghouse type PWR fuel assembly design. Additionally, this paper will describe how this design demonstrates improved margins under high duty plant operating conditions. The major reason for initiating this joint development program was to update the current 16x16 fuel assembly, which is also called 16STD. The current 16STD fuel assembly contains a non-optimized fuel rod diameter for the fuel rod pitch (i.e. 9.5 mm OD fuel rods at a 0.485 inch pitch), non-neutronic efficient components (i.e. Inconel Mid grids), no Intermediate Flow Mixer (IFM) grids, and other mechanical features. The advanced 16x16 fuel assembly is being designed for peak rod average burnups of up to 75 MWd/kgU and will use an optimized fuel rod diameter (i.e. 9.14 mm OD ZIRLO TM fuel rods), neutronic efficient components (i.e. ZIRLO TM Mid grids), ZIRLO TM Intermediate Flow Mixer (IFM) grids to improve Departure from Nucleate Boiling (DNB) margin, and many other mechanical features that improve design margins. Nuclear design activities in the areas of fuel cycle cost and fuel management were performed in parallel to the fuel assembly design efforts. As the change in reactivity due to the change in the fuel rod diameter influences directly

  2. State of the art report of exponential experiments with PWR spent nuclear fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ro, Seung Gy; Park, Sung Won; Park, Kwang Joon; Kim, Jong Hoon; Hong, Kwon Pyo; Shin, Hee Sung

    2000-09-01

    Exponential experiment method is discussed for verifying the computer code system of the nuclear criticality analysis which makes it possible to apply for the burnup credit in storage, transportation, and handling of spent nuclear fuel. In this report, it is described that the neutron flux density distribution in the exponential experiment system which consists of a PWR spent fuel in a water pool is measured by using 252 Cf neutron source and a mini-fission chamber, and therefrom the exponential decay coefficient is determined. Besides, described is a method for determining the absolute thermal neutron flux density by means of the Cd cut-off technique in association with a gold foil. Also a method is described for analyzing the energy distribution of γ-ray from the gold foil activation detector in detail

  3. Modelling of some high burnup phenomena in nuclear fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forsberg, K; Lindstroem, F; Massih, A R [ABB Atom AB, Vaesteraas (Sweden)

    1997-08-01

    In this paper the results of some modelling efforts carried out by ABB Atom to describe certain light water reactor fuel high burnup effects are presented. In particular the degradation of fuel thermal conductivity with burnup and its impact on fuel temperature is briefly discussed. The formation of a porous rim and its effect on a thermal fission gas release has been modelled and the model has been used to predict the release of pressurized water reactor fuel rods that were operated at low power densities. Furthermore, a mathematical model which combines the diffusion and re-solution controlled thermal release with grain boundary movement has been briefly described. The model is used to compare release with diffusion only and release caused by diffusion and grain boundary sweeping (due to grain growth). Finally, analytical expressions are obtained for the calculation of fuel stoichiometry as a function of burnup. (author). 20 refs, 10 figs, 1 tab.

  4. Contribution to the study of the conversion PWR type reactors to the thorium cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins Filho, J.R.

    1980-01-01

    The use of the thorium cycle in PWR reactors is discussed. The fuel has been calculated in the equilibrium condition for a economic comparison with the uranium cycle (in the same condition). First of all, a code named EQUILIBRIO has been developed for the fuel equilibrium calculation. The results gotten by this code, were introduced in the LEOPARD code for the fuel depletion calculation (in the equilibrium cycle). Same important physics details of fuel depletion are studied, for instance: the neutron balance, power sharing, fuel burnup, etc. The calculations have been done taking as reference the Angra-1 PWR reactor. (Author) [pt

  5. Calculation of source term in spent PWR fuel assemblies for dry storage and shipping cask design; Calculo de los terminos fuente de combustibles irradiados PWR para el diseno de contenedores de almacenamiento y transporte

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez, J L; Lopez, J

    1986-07-01

    Using the ORIGEN-2 Coda, the decay heat and neutron and photon sources for an irradiated PWR fuel element have been calculated. Also, parametric studies on the behaviour of the magnitudes with the burn-up, linear heat power and irradiation and cooling times were performed. Finally, a comparison between our results and other design calculations shows a good agreement and confirms the validity of the used method. (Author) 6 refs.

  6. Influence of fuel element burn-up on the power peaking factor in PWR; Vpliv zgorelosti gorivnega elementa na konicne faktorje moci v tlacnovodnem reaktorju

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ravnik, M; Mele, I [Institut ' Jozef Stefan' , Ljubljana (Yugoslavia); Falkowski, J [Institut energii atomowel, Swierk (Poland)

    1988-07-01

    Influence of fuel element burn-up distribution on radial power peaking factors is presented for Krsko NPP. The effect is strong for elements loaded in the periphery of the core with large power gradients. Neglecting the burn-up distributions inside fuel elements leads to {+-} 5% error on power peaking factor of the same element and {+-} 2% at other locations in the core. Influence on k is observed due to perturbed leakage from the core and due to redistribution of the importance function of the core. (author)

  7. Calculation of fuel burn-up and fuel reloading for the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lan, Nguyen Phuoc; Huy, Ngo Quang [Centre for Nuclear Technique Application, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Thong, Ha Van; Binh, Do Quang [Nuclear Research Inst., Da Lat (Viet Nam)

    1994-10-01

    Calculation of fuel burnup and fuel reloading for the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor was carried out by using a new programme named HEXA-BURNUP, realized in a PC. The programme is used to calculate the following parameters of the Dalat reactor: a/Critical configurations of the core loaded with 69, 72, 74, 86, 88, 89 and 92 fuel elements. The effective multiplication coefficients equal 1 within the error ranges of less than 0.38%. b/ The thermal neutron flux distribution in the reactor. The calculated results agree with the experimental data measured at 11 typical positions. c/The average fuel burn-up for the period from Feb. 1984 to Sep. 1992. The difference between calculation and experiment is only about 1.9%. 10 fuel reloading versions are calculated, from which an optimal version is proposed. (author). 9 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.

  8. Nuclear fuel burn-up economy; Ekonomija izgaranja nuklearnog goriva

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matausek, M [Institute of nuclear sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

    1984-07-01

    In the period 1981-1985, for the needs of Utility Organization, Beograd, and with the support of the Scientific Council of SR Srbija, work has been performed on the study entitled 'Nuclear Fuel Burn-up Economy'. The forst [phase, completed during the year 1983 comprised: comparative analysis of commercial NPP from the standpoint of nuclear fuel requirements; development of methods for fuel burn-up analysis; specification of elements concerning the nuclear fuel for the tender documentation. The present paper gives the short description of the purpose, content and results achieved in the up-to-now work on the study. (author)

  9. End effect Keff bias curve for actinide-only burnup credit casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, C.H.; Lancaster, D.B.

    1997-01-01

    A conservative end effect k eff bias curve for actinide-only burnup credit for spent fuel casks is presented in this paper. The k eff bias values can be added to the uniform axial burnup analysis to conservatively bound the actinide-only end effect. A normalized axial burnup distribution for the standard Westinghouse 17 x 17 assembly design is used for calculating k eff . The end effect calculated is a strong function of burnup, and increases as cask size size decreases. The presence of poison plates increases the end effect. The bias curve presented is based on the most limiting cask configuration of a single PWR assembly with completely black poison plates. Therefore, axially uniform criticality calculations with application of the proposed k eff could eliminate the need for axially burnup dependent analyses. 7 refs., 1 fig

  10. Fission gas release and fuel rod chemistry related to extended burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-04-01

    The purpose of the meeting was to review the state of the art in fission gas release and fuel rod chemistry related to extended burnup. The meeting was held in a time when national and international programmes on water reactor fuel irradiated in experimental reactors were still ongoing or had reached their conclusion, and when lead test assemblies had reached high burnup in power reactors and been examined. At the same time, several out-of-pile experiments on high burnup fuel or with simulated fuel were being carried out. As a result, significant progress has been registered since the last meeting, particularly in the evaluation of fuel temperature, the degradation of the global thermal conductivity with burnup and in the understanding of the impact on fission gas release. Fifty five participants from 16 countries and one international organization attended the meeting. 28 papers were presented. A separate abstract was prepared for each of the papers. Refs, figs, tabs and photos

  11. Modified ADS molten salt processes for back-end fuel cycle of PWR spent fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, In-Kyu; Yeon, Jei-Won; Kim, Won-Ho

    2002-01-01

    The back-end fuel cycle concept for PWR spent fuel is explained. This concept is adequate for Korea, which has operated both PWR and CANDU reactors. Molten salt processes for accelerator driven system (ADS) were modified both for the transmutation of long-lived radioisotopes and for the utilisation of the remained fissile uranium in PWR spent fuels. Prior to applying molten salt processes to PWR fuel, hydrofluorination and fluorination processes are applied to obtain uranium hexafluoride from the spent fuel pellet. It is converted to uranium dioxide and fabricated into CANDU fuel. From the remained fluoride compounds, transuranium elements can be separated by the molten salt technology such as electrowinning and reductive extraction processes for transmutation purpose without weakening the proliferation resistance of molten salt technology. The proposed fuel cycle concept using fluorination processes is thought to be adequate for our nuclear program and can replace DUPIC (Direct Use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU reactor) fuel cycle. Each process for the proposed fuel cycle concept was evaluated in detail

  12. Taking burnup credit for interim storage and transportation system for BWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshioka, Ken-ichi; Ando, Y.; Kumanomido, H.; Sasaki, T.; Mitsuhashi, I.; Ueda, M.

    2001-01-01

    In order to establish a realistic burnup credit design system, a calculation system has been developed for determining isotope compositions, burnup, and criticality. The calculation system consists of several modules such as TGBLA, ORIGEN, CITATION, MCNP, and KENO. The TGBLA code is a fuel design code for LWR fuels developed in TOSHIBA Corporation. A compact measurement system for a fuel assembly has been being developed to meet requirements for the burnup determination, the neutron emission-rate evaluation, and the nuclear materials management. For a spent MOX fuel, a neutron emission rate measurement method has been being developed. The system consists of Cd-Te detectors and / or fission chambers. Some model calculations were carried out for the latest design BWR fuels. The effect of taking burnup credit for a transportation cask is shown. (authors)

  13. Nondestructive examination of Oconee 1 fuel assemblies after three cycles of irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pyecha, T.D.; Davis, H.H.; Mayer, J.T.; Guthrie, B.A. III; Larson, J.G.

    1979-09-01

    The Babcock and Wilcox Company (B and W) in conjunction with Duke Power Company is participating in a Department of Energy sponsored research and development program to qualify current design pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies for extended burnup (>40,000 MWd/mtU). The information obtained from this program will provide a basis for future design improvements in PWR fuel assemblies culminating in an extended burnup assembly having a nominal operating limit of approximately 50,000 MWd/mtU. An extension of the current assembly design to higher burnups will result in the following benefits: (1) lower uranium ore requirements, (2) greater fuel cycle efficiency, (3) reduction in spent fuel storage requirements, and (4) increased flexibility in tailoring fuel batch sizes to better accommodate the varying energy requirements of the utilities

  14. Assessment of US NRC fuel rod behavior codes to extended burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laats, E.T.; Croucher, D.W.; Haggag, F.M.

    1982-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to report the status of assessing the capabilities of the NRC fuel rod performance codes for calculating extended burnup rod behavior. As part of this effort, a large spectrum of fuel rod behavior phenomena was examined, and the phenomena deemed as being influential during extended burnup operation were identified. Then, the experiment data base addressing these identified phenomena was examined for availability and completeness at extended burnups. Calculational capabilities of the NRC's steady state FRAPCON-2 and transient FRAP-T6 fuel rod behavior codes were examined for each of the identified phenomenon. Parameters calculated by the codes were compared with the available data base, and judgments were made regarding model performance. Overall, the FRAPCON-2 code was found to be moderately well assessed to extended burnups, but the FRAP-T6 code cannot be adequately assessed until more transient high burnup data are available

  15. Modeling of WWER-440 Fuel Pin Behavior at Extended Burn-up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Koliel, M.S.; Abou-Zaid, A.A.; El-Kafas, A.A.

    2004-01-01

    Currently, there is an ongoing effort to increase fuel discharge burn-up of all LWRs fuel including WWER's as much as possible in order to decrease power production cost. Therefore, burn-up is expected to be increased to 60 to 70 Mwd/kg U. The change in the fuel radial power distribution as a function of fuel burn up can affect the radial fuel temperature distribution as well as the fuel microstructure in the fuel pellet rim. In this paper, the radial burn-up and fissile products distributions of WWER-440 UO 2 fuel pin were evaluated using MCNP 4B and ORIGEN2 codes. The impact of the thermal conductivity on predicted fission gas release calculations is needed. For the analysis, a typical WWER-440 fuel pin and surrounding water moderator are considered in a hexagonal pin cell well. The thermal release and the athermal release from the pellet rim were modeled separately. The fraction of the rim structure and the excessive porosity in the rim structure in isothermal irradiation as a function of the fuel burn-up was predicted. a computer program; RIMSC-01, is developed to perform the required FGR calculations. Finally, the relevant phenomena and the corresponding models together with their validation are presented

  16. Reactivity effect of spent fuel depending on burn-up history

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Takafumi; Suyama, Kenya; Nomura, Yasushi

    2001-06-01

    It is well known that a composition of spent fuel depends on various parameter changes throughout a burn-up period. In this study we aimed at the boron concentration and its change, the coolant temperature and its spatial distribution, the specific power, the operation mode, and the duration of inspection, because the effects due to these parameters have not been analyzed in detail. The composition changes of spent fuel were calculated by using the burn-up code SWAT, when the parameters mentioned above varied in the range of actual variations. Moreover, to estimate the reactivity effect caused by the composition changes, the criticality calculations for an infinite array of spent fuel were carried out with computer codes SRAC95 or MVP. In this report the reactivity effects were arranged from the viewpoint of what parameters gave more positive reactivity effect. The results obtained through this study are useful to choose the burn-up calculation model when we take account of the burn-up credit in the spent fuel management. (author)

  17. Impact on burnup performance of coated particle fuel design in pebble bed reactor with ROX fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ho, Hai Quan; Obara, Toru

    2015-01-01

    The pebble bed reactor (PBR), a kind of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), is expected to be among the next generation of nuclear reactors as it has excellent passive safety features, as well as online refueling and high thermal efficiency. Rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel has been studied at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) as a new once-through type fuel concept. Rock-like oxide used as fuel in a PBR can be expected to achieve high burnup and improve chemical stabilities. In the once-through fuel concept, the main challenge is to achieve as high a burnup as possible without failure of the spent fuel. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact on burnup performance of different coated fuel particle (CFP) designs in a PBR with ROX fuel. In the study, the AGR-1 Coated Particle design and Deep-Burn Coated Particle design were used to make the burnup performance comparison. Criticality and core burnup calculations were performed by MCPBR code using the JENDL-4.0 library. Results at equilibrium showed that the two reactors utilizing AGR-1 Coated Particle and Deep-Burn Coated Particle designs could be critical with almost the same multiplication factor k eff . However, the power peaking factor and maximum power per fuel ball in the AGR-1 coated particle design was lower than that of Deep-Burn coated particle design. The AGR-1 design also showed an advantage in fissions per initial fissile atoms (FIFA); the AGR-1 coated particle design produced a higher FIFA than the Deep-Burn coated particle design. These results suggest that the difference in coated particle fuel design can have an effect on the burnup performance in ROX fuel. (author)

  18. Gadolinia experience and design for PWR fuel cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stephenson, L. C.

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe Siemens Power Corporation's (SPC) current experience with the burnable absorber gadolinia in PWR fuel assemblies, including optimized features of SPC's PWR gadolinia designs, and comparisons with other burnable absorbers. Siemens is the world leader in PWR gadolinia experience. More than 5,900 Siemens PWR gadolinia-bearing fuel assemblies have been irradiated. The use of gadolinia-bearing fuel provides significant flexibility in fuel cycle designs, allows for low radial leakage fuel management and extended operating cycles, and reduces BOC (beginning-of-cycle) soluble boron concentrations. The optimized use of an integral burnable neutron absorber is a design feature which provides improved economic performance for PWR fuel assemblies. This paper includes a comparison between three different types of integral burnable absorbers: gadolinia, Zirconium diboride and erbia. Fuel cycle design studies performed by Siemens have shown that the enrichment requirements for 18-24 month fuel cycles utilizing gadolinia or zirconium diboride integral fuel burnable absorbers can be approximately the same. Although a typical gadolinia residual penalty for a cycle design of this length is as low as 0.02-0.03 wt% U-235, the design flexibility of gadolinia allows for very aggressive low-leakage core loading plans which reduces the enrichment requirements for gadolinia-bearing fuel. SPC has optimized its use of gadolinia in PWR fuel cycles. Typically, low (2-4) weight percent Gd 2 O 3 is used for beginning to middle of cycle reactivity hold down as well as soluble boron concentration holddown at BOC. Higher concentrations of Gd 2 O 3 , such as 6 and 8 wt%, are used to control power peaking in assemblies later in the cycle. SPC has developed core strategies that maximize the use of lower gadolinia concentrations which significantly reduces the gadolinia residual reactivity penalty. This optimization includes minimizing the number of rods with

  19. High burnup fuel onset conditions in dry storage. Prediction of EOL rod internal pressure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feria, F.; Herranz, L.E.

    2015-07-01

    During dry storage, cladding resistance to failure can be affected by several degrading mechanisms like creep or hydrides radial reorientation. The driving force of these effects is the stress at which the cladding is submitted. The maximum stress in the cladding is determined by the end-of-reactor-life (EOL) rod internal pressure, PEOL, at the maximum temperature attained during dry storage. Thus, PEOL sets the initial conditions of storage for potential time-dependent changes in the cladding. Based on FRAPCON-3.5 calculations, the aim of this work is to analyse the PEOL of a PWR fuel rod irradiated to burnups greater than 60 GWd/tU, where limited information is available. In order to be conservative, demanding irradiation histories have been used with a peak linear power of 44 kW/m. FRAPCON-3.5 results show an increasing exponential trend of PEOL with burnup, from which a simple correlation has been derived. The comparison with experimental data found in the literature confirms the enveloping nature of the predicted curve. Based on that, a conservative prediction of cladding stress in dry storage has been obtained. The comparison with a critical stress threshold related to hydrides embrittlement seems to point out that this issue should not be a concern at burnups below 65 GWd/tU. (Author)

  20. Extended burnup demonstration: reactor fuel program. Pre-irradiation characterization and summary of pre-program poolside examinations. Big Rock Point extended burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Exarhos, C.A.; Van Swam, L.F.; Wahlquist, F.P.

    1981-12-01

    This report is a resource document characterizing the 64 fuel rods being irradiated at the Big Rock Point reactor as part of the Extended Burnup Demonstration being sponsored jointly by the US Department of Energy, Consumers Power Company, Exxon Nuclear Company, and General Public Utilities. The program entails extending the exposure of standard BWR fuel to a discharge average of 38,000 MWD/MTU to demonstrate the feasibility of operating fuel of standard design to levels significantly above current limits. The fabrication characteristics of the Big Rock Point EBD fuel are presented along with measurement of rod length, rod diameter, pellet stack height, and fuel rod withdrawal force taken at poolside at burnups up to 26,200 MWD/MTU. A review of the fuel examination data indicates no performance characteristics which might restrict the continued irradiation of the fuel

  1. Consequences of the increase of burnup on the fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melin, P.; Lavoine, O.; Houdaille, B.

    1986-04-01

    The examinations carried out on the FRAGEMA fuel of EDF reactors show its good behavior in service. The results of research and development programs developed by EDF, FGA and the CEA show that this fuel can be irradiated up to a high burnup, and allow to point out the axies of research to improve still the performance of the product in a more and more soliciting environment (increase of power and burnup coupled with load following). Among the solutions considered, there are the design and fabrication adjustments (geometry, initial pressurization), more fundamental changes concerning fuel cans and fuel pellets, which need still research and development programs [fr

  2. Economic incentives and recommended development for commercial use of high burnup fuels in the once-through LWR fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stout, R.B.; Merckx, K.R.; Holm, J.S.

    1981-01-01

    This study calculates the reduced uranium requirements and the economic incentives for increasing the burnup of current design LWR fuels from the current range of 25 to 35 MWD/Kg to a range of 45 to 55 MWD/Kg. The changes in fuel management strategies which may be required to accommodate these high burnup fuels and longer fuel cycles are discussed. The material behavior problems which may present obstacles to achieving high burnup or to license fuel are identified and discussed. These problems are presented in terms of integral fuel response and the informational needs for commercial and licensing acceptance. Research and development programs are outlined which are aimed at achieving a licensing position and commercial acceptance of high burnup fuels

  3. A model to calculate the burn of gadolinium in PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sannazzaro, L.R.

    1983-01-01

    A cell model to calculate the burnup of a PWR fuel element with gadolinium as a poison, projected by KWU, is presented. With the model proposed, the burn of the gadolinium isotopes is analyzed, as well as the effect of these isotopes in the fuel element behaviour. The results obtained with this cell model are compared with those obtained by a conventional cell model. (E.G.) [pt

  4. Evaluation of Gap Conductance Approach for Mid-Burnup Fuel LOCA Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Joosuk; Woo, Swengwoong

    2013-01-01

    In this study, therefore, the applicability of gap conductance approach on the mid-burnup fuel in LOCA analysis was estimated in terms of the comparison of PCT distribution method means the fuel rod uncertainty is taken into account by the combination of overall uncertainty parameters of fuel rod altogether by use of a simple random sampling(SRS) technique. There are many uncertainty parameters of fuel rod that can change the PCT during LOCA analysis, and these have been identified by the authors' previous work already. But, for the 'best-estimate' LOCA safety analysis the methodology that dose not use the overall uncertainty parameters altogether but used the gap conductance uncertainty alone has been developed to simulate the overall fuel rod uncertainty, because it can represent many uncertainty parameters. Based on this approach, uncertainty range of gap conductance was prescribed as 0.67∼1.5 in audit calculation methodology on LBLOCA analysis. This uncertainty was derived from experimental data of fresh or low burnup fuel. Meanwhile, recent research work identify that the currently utilized uncertainty range seems to be not enough to encompass the uncertainty of mid-burnup fuel. Instead it has to be changed to 0.5∼2.4 for the mid-burnup fuel(30 MWd/kgU)

  5. Evaluation of Gap Conductance Approach for Mid-Burnup Fuel LOCA Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Joosuk; Woo, Swengwoong [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    In this study, therefore, the applicability of gap conductance approach on the mid-burnup fuel in LOCA analysis was estimated in terms of the comparison of PCT distribution method means the fuel rod uncertainty is taken into account by the combination of overall uncertainty parameters of fuel rod altogether by use of a simple random sampling(SRS) technique. There are many uncertainty parameters of fuel rod that can change the PCT during LOCA analysis, and these have been identified by the authors' previous work already. But, for the 'best-estimate' LOCA safety analysis the methodology that dose not use the overall uncertainty parameters altogether but used the gap conductance uncertainty alone has been developed to simulate the overall fuel rod uncertainty, because it can represent many uncertainty parameters. Based on this approach, uncertainty range of gap conductance was prescribed as 0.67∼1.5 in audit calculation methodology on LBLOCA analysis. This uncertainty was derived from experimental data of fresh or low burnup fuel. Meanwhile, recent research work identify that the currently utilized uncertainty range seems to be not enough to encompass the uncertainty of mid-burnup fuel. Instead it has to be changed to 0.5∼2.4 for the mid-burnup fuel(30 MWd/kgU)

  6. Threshold burnup for recrystallization and model for rim porosity in the high burnup UO2 fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Byung Ho; Koo, Yang Hyun; Sohn, Dong Seong

    1998-01-01

    Applicability of the threshold burnup for rim formation was investigated as a function of temperature by Rest's model. The threshold burnup was the lowest in the intermediate temperature region, while on the other temperature regions the threshold burnup is higher. The rim porosity was predicted by the van der Waals equation based of the rim pore radius of 0.75μm and the overpressurization model on rim pores. The calculated centerline temperature is in good agreement with the measured temperature. However, more efforts seem to be necessary for the mechanistic model of the rim effect including rim growth with the fuel burnup

  7. Optimization of reload core design for PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Wei; Xie Zhongsheng; Yin Banghua

    1995-01-01

    A direct efficient optimization technique has been effected for automatically optimizing the reload of PWR. The objective functions include: maximization of end-of-cycle (EOC) reactivity and maximization of average discharge burnup. The fuel loading optimization and burnable poison (BP) optimization are separated into two stages by using Haling principle. In the first stage, the optimum fuel reloading pattern without BP is determined by the linear programming method using enrichments as control variable, while in the second stage the optimum BP allocation is determined by the flexible tolerance method using the number of BP rods as control variable. A practical and efficient PWR reloading optimization program based on above theory has been encoded and successfully applied to Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (QNP) cycle 2 reloading design

  8. State of fuel rods spent in the VVER-1000 reactor up to a fuel burnup of 75 MW·Day/KgU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markov, D.; Zvir, E.; Polenok, V.; Zhitelev, V.; Strozhuk, A.; Volkova, I.

    2011-01-01

    The presented material contains the data on change in form, corrosion state and mechanical properties of fuel rod claddings, change in fuel structure and release of gaseous fission products (GFP) under the cladding. The results of PIEs of the VVER-1000 fuel rods with the high burnup of fuel (average value is 72.3 MW·day/kgU and maximum is 75 MW·day/kgU) carried out in JSC 'SSC RIAR' show that by the basic operational characteristics the lifetime of fuel rods with such burnup of fuel is not exhausted. The state of fuel rods is characterized by following key parameters. The fuel-to-cladding gap on the most part of the fuel meat is absent. With the burnup growth, diameter of the fuel rod increases due to fuel meat swelling. In so doing, the reverse strain achieves the values of 0.40-0.47 %. Ridges on the cladding are formed practically along the entire length of the fuel meat, average height of ridges makes up 25 μm, maximum - 40 μm. At burnups exceeding 55 MW·day/kgU, the rate of the fuel rod elongation is less than at low and average burnups. So if within a burnup range of 20-55 MW·day/kgU, the rate of the fuel rod elongation makes up about 0.330mm per 1 MW·day/kgU, at burnups exceeding 55 MW·day/kgU it is only 0.085mm per 1 MW·day/kgU. Corrosion state of the claddings of fuel rods with high burnup of fuel is satisfactory. The oxide film, as a rule, is uniform, dense, without cracks and exfoliation, its thickness on the external surface does not exceed 13 μm, while on the internal surface - 15 μm. Hydrogenation is insignificant, mass fraction of hydrogen does not exceed 0.01 %. Interaction of fuel rods with spacer grids does not result in significant fretting-corrosion. Based of the results of tests, short-term mechanical properties of the claddings of fuel rods with high burnup of fuel remain at high level. The state of fuel is characterized by absence of the fuel-to-cladding gap on the most part of the fuel meat, fuel is tightly fixed to the cladding

  9. Characterisation of high-burnup LWR fuel rods through gamma tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caruso, S.

    2007-01-01

    Current fuel management strategies for light water reactors (LWRs), in countries with high back-end costs, progressively extend the discharge burnup at the expense of increasing the 235 U enrichment of the fresh UO 2 fuel loaded. In this perspective, standard non-destructive assay techniques, which are very attractive because they are fast, cheap, and preserve the fuel integrity, in contrast to destructive approaches, require further validation when burnup values become higher than 50 GWd/t. This doctoral work has been devoted to the development and optimisation of non-destructive assay techniques based on gamma-ray emissions from irradiated fuel. It represents an important extension of the unique, high-burnup related database, generated in the framework of the LWR PROTEUS Phase II experiments. A novel tomographic measurement station has been designed and developed for the investigation of irradiated fuel rod segments. A unique feature of the station is that it allows both gamma-ray transmission and emission computerised tomography to be performed on single fuel rods. Four burnt UO 2 fuel rod segments of 400 mm length have been investigated, two with very high (52 GWd/t and 71 GWd/t) and two with ultra-high (91 GWd/t and 126 GWd/t) burnup. Several research areas have been addressed, as described below. The application of transmission tomography to spent fuel rods has been a major task, because of difficulties of implementation and the uniqueness of the experiments. The main achievements, in this context, have been the determination of fuel rod average material density (a linear relationship between density and burnup was established), fuel rod linear attenuation coefficient distribution (for use in emission tomography), and fuel rod material density distribution. The non-destructive technique of emission computerised tomography (CT) has been applied to the very high and ultra-high burnup fuel rod samples for determining their within-rod distributions of caesium and

  10. Reactivity management and burn-up management on JRR-3 silicide-fuel-core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, Tomoaki; Araki, Masaaki; Izumo, Hironobu; Kinase, Masami; Torii, Yoshiya; Murayama, Yoji

    2007-08-01

    On the conversion from uranium-aluminum-dispersion-type fuel (aluminide fuel) to uranium-silicon-aluminum-dispersion-type fuel (silicide fuel), uranium density was increased from 2.2 to 4.8 g/cm 3 with keeping uranium-235 enrichment of 20%. So, burnable absorbers (cadmium wire) were introduced for decreasing excess reactivity caused by the increasing of uranium density. The burnable absorbers influence reactivity during reactor operation. So, the burning of the burnable absorbers was studied and the influence on reactor operation was made cleared. Furthermore, necessary excess reactivity on beginning of operation cycle and the time limit for restart after unplanned reactor shutdown was calculated. On the conversion, limit of fuel burn-up was increased from 50% to 60%. And the fuel exchange procedure was changed from the six-batch dispersion procedure to the fuel burn-up management procedure. The previous estimation of fuel burn-up was required for the planning of fuel exchange, so that the estimation was carried out by means of past operation data. Finally, a new fuel exchange procedure was proposed for effective use of fuel elements. On the procedure, burn-up of spent fuel was defined for each loading position. The average length of fuel's staying in the core can be increased by two percent on the procedure. (author)

  11. Determination of uncertainties of PWR spent fuel radionuclide inventory based on real operational history data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fast, Ivan; Bosbach, Dirk [Institute of Energy- and Climate Research, Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety Research, IEK-6, Forschungszentrum, Julich GmbH, (Germany); Aksyutina, Yuliya; Tietze-Jaensch, Holger [German Product Control Office for Radioactive Waste (PKS), Institute of Energy- and Climate Research, Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety Research, IEK-6, Forschungszentrum Julich GmbH, (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    A requisite for the official approval of the safe final disposal of SNF is a comprehensive specification and declaration of the nuclear inventory in SNF by the waste supplier. In the verification process both the values of the radionuclide (RN) activities and their uncertainties are required. Burn-up (BU) calculations based on typical and generic reactor operational parameters do not encompass any possible uncertainties observed in real reactor operations. At the same time, the details of the irradiation history are often not well known, which complicates the assessment of declared RN inventories. Here, we have compiled a set of burnup calculations accounting for the operational history of 339 published or anonymized real PWR fuel assemblies (FA). These histories were used as a basis for a 'SRP analysis', to provide information about the range of the values of the associated secondary reactor parameters (SRP's). Hence, we can calculate the realistic variation or spectrum of RN inventories. SCALE 6.1 has been employed for the burn-up calculations. The results have been validated using experimental data from the online database - SFCOMPO-1 and -2. (authors)

  12. Determination of uncertainties of PWR spent fuel radionuclide inventory based on real operational history data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fast, Ivan; Bosbach, Dirk; Aksyutina, Yuliya; Tietze-Jaensch, Holger

    2015-01-01

    A requisite for the official approval of the safe final disposal of SNF is a comprehensive specification and declaration of the nuclear inventory in SNF by the waste supplier. In the verification process both the values of the radionuclide (RN) activities and their uncertainties are required. Burn-up (BU) calculations based on typical and generic reactor operational parameters do not encompass any possible uncertainties observed in real reactor operations. At the same time, the details of the irradiation history are often not well known, which complicates the assessment of declared RN inventories. Here, we have compiled a set of burnup calculations accounting for the operational history of 339 published or anonymized real PWR fuel assemblies (FA). These histories were used as a basis for a 'SRP analysis', to provide information about the range of the values of the associated secondary reactor parameters (SRP's). Hence, we can calculate the realistic variation or spectrum of RN inventories. SCALE 6.1 has been employed for the burn-up calculations. The results have been validated using experimental data from the online database - SFCOMPO-1 and -2. (authors)

  13. Development of a BWR core burn-up calculation code COREBN-BWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morimoto, Yuichi; Okumura, Keisuke

    1992-05-01

    In order to evaluate core performances of BWR type reactors, the three dimensional core burnup calculation code COREBN-BWR and the fuel management code HIST-BWR have been developed. In analyses of BWR type reactors, thermal hydraulics calculations must be coupled with neutronics calculations to evaluate core performances, because steam void distribution changes according to the change of the power distribution. By installing new functions as follows to the three dimensional core burnup code COREBN2 developed in JAERI for PWR type reactor analyses, the code system becomes to be applicable to burnup analyses of BWR type reactors. (1) Macroscopic cross section calculation function taking into account of coolant void distribution. (2) Thermal hydraulics calculation function to evaluate core flow split, coolant void distribution and thermal margin. (3) Burnup calculation function under the Haling strategy. (4) Fuel management function to incorporate the thermal hydraulics information. This report consists of the general description, calculational models, input data requirements and their explanations, detailed information on usage and sample input. (author)

  14. Design and analytic evaluation of a rim effect reduction type LWR fuel for extending burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsumura, Tetsuo; Kameyama, Takanori; Kinoshita, Motoyasu

    1991-01-01

    We have designed a new concept fuel design 'Rim effect reduction type fuel' which has thin natural UO 2 layer on surface of a UO2 pellet. Our neutronic analyses with ANRB code show this fuel design can reduce rim effect (burnup at plelet rim) by about 30 GWd/t comparing a normal fuel. It is known that a high burnup fuel has different microstructure from as-fabricated one at fuel rim (which is called as rim region) due to rim effect. Therefore this fuel design can expect smaller rim region than a normal fuel. Our fuel performance analyses with EIMUS code show this fuel design can reduce fuel center temperature at high burnup if thermal conductivity of fuel pellet decreases with burnup in inverse proportion. However, this fuel design increases fuel center temperature at low and middle burnup than a normal fuel due to increase of thermal power density at pellet center. Additionally Irradiation experiment of this fuel design can be considered to offer important data which make clear the relation between rim effect and fuel performance. (author)

  15. Burnup performance of OTTO cycle pebble bed reactors with ROX fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ho, Hai Quan; Obara, Toru

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A 300 MW t Small Pebble Bed Reactor with Rock-like oxide fuel is proposed. • Using ROX fuel can achieve high discharged burnup of spent fuel. • High geological stability can be expected in direct disposal of the spent ROX fuel. • The Pebble Bed Reactor with ROX fuel can be critical at steady state operation. • All the reactor designs have a negative temperature coefficient. - Abstract: A pebble bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (PBR) with rock-like oxide (ROX) fuel was designed to achieve high discharged burnup and improve the integrity of the spent fuel in geological disposal. The MCPBR code with a JENDL-4.0 library, which developed the analysis of the Once-Through-Then-Out (OTTO) cycle in PBR, was used to perform the criticality and burnup analysis. Burnup calculations for eight cases were carried out for both ROX fuel and a UO 2 fuel reactor with different heavy-metal loading conditions. The effective multiplication factor of all cases approximately equalled unity in the equilibrium condition. The ROX fuel reactor showed lower FIFA than the UO 2 fuel reactor at the same heavy-metal loading, about 5–15%. However, the power peaking factor and maximum power per fuel ball in the ROX fuel core were lower than that of UO 2 fuel core. This effect makes it possible to compensate for the lower-FIFA disadvantage in a ROX fuel core. All reactor designs had a negative temperature coefficient that is needed for the passive safety features of a pebble bed reactor

  16. Burn-up measurements of spent fuel using gamma spectrometry technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereda, C.; Henriquez, C.; Klein, J.; Medel, J.

    2005-01-01

    Burn-up results obtained for HEU (45% of 235 U) fuel assemblies of the RECH-1 Research Reactor using gamma spectrometry technique are presented. The spectra were got from an in-pool facility built in the reactor to be mainly used to measure the burnup of irradiated fuel assemblies with short cooling time, where 95 Zr is being evaluated as possible fission monitor. A program to measure all spent fuel assemblies of the RECH-1 reactor was initiated in the frame of the Regional Project RLA/4/018: 'Management of Spent Fuel from Research Reactors'. The results presented here were obtained from HEU spent fuel assemblies with cooling time greater than 100 days and 137 Cs was used as fission monitor. The efficiency of the in-pool system was determined using a slightly burnt experimental fuel assembly, which has one fuel plate (one of the outer plates) and the rest are dummy plates. An average burn-up of 2.8% of 235 U was previously measured for the experimental fuel assembly utilizing a facility installed in a hot cell and 137 Cs was used as monitor. (author)

  17. An economic analysis code used for PWR fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Dingqin

    1989-01-01

    An economic analysis code used for PWR fuel cycle is developed. This economic code includes 12 subroutines representing vavious processes for entire PWR fuel cycle, and indicates the influence of the fuel cost on the cost of the electricity generation and the influence of individual process on the sensitivity of the fuel cycle cost

  18. Open and closed fuel cycle of HWR and PWR. How large is the high-level radioactive wastes repository; Ciclos de combustible abierto y cerrado con HWR y PWR. ?Cuanto mas grande es el repositorio de residuos radiactivos de alta actividad?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bevilacqua, Arturo M. [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina). Centro Atomico Bariloche

    1996-07-01

    A conceptual analysis was carried out on the size of a high-level wastes (HLW) repository for the waste arising from once-through and closed fuel cycles with (HLW) and PWR. The mass, the activity and thermal loading was calculated with the ORIGEN2.1 computer code for the spent fuel and for the high-level liquid wastes. It was considered a minimum burnup of 7.000 MW.d/t U and 33.000 MW.d/t U for HWR and PWR respectively, cooling times of 20 and 55 years, reprocessing recovery ratios of 99% and 99.7% and a total electricity production of 81.6 GW(e).a. It was concluded that the cooling time is the most important repository size reproduction parameter for the closed cycles. On the other hand, the spent fuel mass for the once-through cycles does not depend on the cooling time what prevents repository size reduction once a cooling time of 55 years is reached. The repository size reduction in the case of HWR is larger than in the case of PWR, owing to the larger fuel mass required to produce the specific electricity amount. (author)

  19. Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Package Misload Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    J.K. Knudson

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of this calculation is to estimate the probability of misloading a commercial spent nuclear fuel waste package with a fuel assembly(s) that has a reactivity (i.e., enrichment and/or burnup) outside the waste package design. The waste package designs are based on the expected commercial spent nuclear fuel assemblies and previous analyses (Macheret, P. 2001, Section 4.1 and Table 1). For this calculation, a misloaded waste package is defined as a waste package that has a fuel assembly(s) loaded into it with an enrichment and/or burnup outside the waste package design. An example of this type of misload is a fuel assembly designated for the 21-PWR Control Rod waste package being incorrectly loaded into a 21-PWR Absorber Plate waste package. This constitutes a misloaded 21-PWR Absorber Plate waste package, because the reactivity (i.e., enrichment and/or burnup) of a 21-PWR Control Rod waste package fuel assembly is outside the design of a 21-PWR Absorber Plate waste package. These types of misloads (i.e., fuel assembly with enrichment and/or burnup outside waste package design) are the only types that are evaluated in this calculation. This calculation utilizes information from ''Frequency of SNF Misload for Uncanistered Fuel Waste Package'' (CRWMS M and O 1998) as the starting point. The scope of this calculation is limited to the information available. The information is based on the whole population of fuel assemblies and the whole population of waste packages, because there is no information about the arrival of the waste stream at this time. The scope of this calculation deviates from that specified in ''Technical Work Plan for: Risk and Criticality Department'' (BSC 2002a, Section 2.1.30) in that only waste package misload is evaluated. The remaining issues identified (i.e., flooding and geometry reconfiguration) will be addressed elsewhere. The intended use of the calculation is to provide information and inputs to the Preclosure Safety Analysis

  20. Fast reactor cycle calculation routine using a 3D-simulator and investigation of new burnup stategies for pressurized water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yulun.

    1987-03-01

    Three-dimensional calculations of the longtime behaviour of PWR can be done in short computing times with satisfactory accuracy for power and burn-up distributions. This has been proved by comparison with operational data of Biblis-B. Various possibilities are investigated to increase the discharge burn-up and to improve the utilization of uranium. In view of the increase of discharge burn-up due to enhanced cycle number (decreased batch size) and decreased neutron leakage these new strategies are intensively studied in the conventional fuel management scheme (Out-in) and in the low leakage fuel management scheme (In-Out). By a conventional fuel management scheme with four cycle operation and a low leakage fuel management scheme with three cycle operation an attractive increase of discharge burn-up to about 40% can be achieved by an increase in the reload enrichment to 4%. (orig.) [de

  1. Actinide-only and full burn-up credit in criticality assessment of RBMK-1500 spent nuclear fuel storage cask using axial burn-up profile

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barkauskas, V., E-mail: vytenis.barkauskas@ftmc.lt; Plukiene, R., E-mail: rita.plukiene@ftmc.lt; Plukis, A., E-mail: arturas.plukis@ftmc.lt

    2016-10-15

    Highlights: • RBMK-1500 fuel burn-up impact on k{sub eff} in the SNF cask was calculated using SCALE 6.1. • Positive end effect was noticed at certain burn-up for the RBMK-1500 spent nuclear fuel. • The non-uniform uranium depletion is responsible for the end effect in RBMK-1500 SNF. • k{sub eff} in the SNF cask does not exceed a value of 0.95 which is set in the safety requirements. - Abstract: Safe long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is one of the main issues in the field of nuclear safety. Burn-up credit application in criticality analysis of SNF reduces conservatism of usually used fresh fuel assumption and implies a positive economic impact for the SNF storage. Criticality calculations of spent nuclear fuel in the CONSTOR® RBMK-1500/M2 cask were performed using pre-generated ORIGEN-ARP spent nuclear fuel composition libraries, and the results of the RBMK-1500 burn-up credit impact on the effective neutron multiplication factor (k{sub eff}) have been obtained and are presented in the paper. SCALE 6.1 code package with the STARBUCKS burn-up credit evaluation tool was used for modeling. Pre-generated ARP (Automatic Rapid Processing) crosssection libraries based on ENDF/B-VII cross section library were used for fast burn-up inventory modeling. Different conditions in the SNF cask were modeled: 2.0% and 2.8% initial enrichment fuel of various burn-up and water density inside cavities of the SNF cask. The fuel composition for the criticality analysis was chosen taking into account main actinides and most important fission products used in burn-up calculations. A significant positive end effect is noticed from 15 GWd/tU burn-up for 2.8% enrichment fuel and from 9 GWd/tU for 2.0% enrichment fuel applying the actinide-only approach. The obtained results may be applied in further evaluations of the RBMK type reactor SNF storage as well as help to optimize the SNF storage volume inside the CONSTOR® RBMK-1500/M2 cask without compromising criticality

  2. Actinide-only and full burn-up credit in criticality assessment of RBMK-1500 spent nuclear fuel storage cask using axial burn-up profile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkauskas, V.; Plukiene, R.; Plukis, A.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • RBMK-1500 fuel burn-up impact on k_e_f_f in the SNF cask was calculated using SCALE 6.1. • Positive end effect was noticed at certain burn-up for the RBMK-1500 spent nuclear fuel. • The non-uniform uranium depletion is responsible for the end effect in RBMK-1500 SNF. • k_e_f_f in the SNF cask does not exceed a value of 0.95 which is set in the safety requirements. - Abstract: Safe long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is one of the main issues in the field of nuclear safety. Burn-up credit application in criticality analysis of SNF reduces conservatism of usually used fresh fuel assumption and implies a positive economic impact for the SNF storage. Criticality calculations of spent nuclear fuel in the CONSTOR® RBMK-1500/M2 cask were performed using pre-generated ORIGEN-ARP spent nuclear fuel composition libraries, and the results of the RBMK-1500 burn-up credit impact on the effective neutron multiplication factor (k_e_f_f) have been obtained and are presented in the paper. SCALE 6.1 code package with the STARBUCKS burn-up credit evaluation tool was used for modeling. Pre-generated ARP (Automatic Rapid Processing) crosssection libraries based on ENDF/B-VII cross section library were used for fast burn-up inventory modeling. Different conditions in the SNF cask were modeled: 2.0% and 2.8% initial enrichment fuel of various burn-up and water density inside cavities of the SNF cask. The fuel composition for the criticality analysis was chosen taking into account main actinides and most important fission products used in burn-up calculations. A significant positive end effect is noticed from 15 GWd/tU burn-up for 2.8% enrichment fuel and from 9 GWd/tU for 2.0% enrichment fuel applying the actinide-only approach. The obtained results may be applied in further evaluations of the RBMK type reactor SNF storage as well as help to optimize the SNF storage volume inside the CONSTOR® RBMK-1500/M2 cask without compromising criticality safety.

  3. Non destructive assay of nuclear LEU spent fuels for burnup credit application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebrun, A.; Bignan, G.

    2001-01-01

    Criticality safety analysis devoted to spent fuel storage and transportation has to be conservative in order to be sure no accident will ever happen. In the spent fuel storage field, the assumption of freshness has been used to achieve the conservative aspect of criticality safety procedures. Nevertheless, after being irradiated in a reactor core, the fuel elements have obviously lost part of their original reactivity. The concept of taking into account this reactivity loss in criticality safety analysis is known as Burnup credit. To be used, Burnup credit involves obtaining evidence of the reactivity loss with a Burnup measurement. Many non destructive assays (NDA) based on neutron as well as on gamma ray emissions are devoted to spent fuel characterization. Heavy nuclei that compose the fuels are modified during irradiation and cooling. Some of them emit neutrons spontaneously and the link to Burnup is a power link. As a result, burn-up determination with passive neutron measurement is extremely accurate. Some gamma emitters also have interesting properties in order to characterize spent fuels but the convenience of the gamma spectrometric methods is very dependent on characteristics of spent fuel. In addition, contrary to the neutron emission, the gamma signal is mostly representative of the peripheral rods of the fuels. Two devices based on neutron methods but combining different NDA methods which have been studied in the past are described in detail: 1. The PYTHON device is a combination of a passive neutron measurement, a collimated total gamma measurement, and an online depletion code. This device, which has been used in several Nuclear Power Plants in western Europe, gives the average Burnup within a 5% uncertainty and also the extremity Burnup, 2. The NAJA device is an automatic device that involves three nuclear methods and an online depletion code. It is designed to cover the whole fuel assembly panel (Active Neutron Interrogation, Passive Neutron

  4. Ruthenium release at high temperature from irradiated PWR fuels in various oxidising conditions. Main findings from the VERCORS program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ducros, G.; Pontillon, Y.; Malgouyres, P.P.; Taylor, P.; Dutheillet, Y.

    2005-01-01

    Fission product release and transport in case of PWR severe accident is a major topic in reactor safety assessment due to the potential radiological consequences for surrounding populations and the environment. In this context, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Safety (IRSN) and Electricite de France (EDF) have supported the VERCORS analytical test program which was performed by the ''Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique'' (CEA). It is usually considered as complementary to the PHEBUS FP in-pile integral experimental program. 25 annealing tests were performed between 1983 and 2002 on irradiated PWR fuels under various conditions of temperature and atmospheres (oxidising or reducing conditions).The influence of the nature of the fuel (UO 2 versus MOX, burn-up) and the fuel morphology (initially intact or fragmented fuels) have also been investigated. These led to an extended data base allowing on the one hand to study mechanisms which promote fission products release, and on the other hand to enhance models implemented in severe accident codes. Among all the fission products investigated, ruthenium is of specific concern because of its high radiological effects due essentially to the combination of both its short and long half-life isotopes (i.e. 103 Ru and 106 Ru respectively), but also by its ability to generate volatile gaseous oxides (RuO 3 , RuO 4 ) in very oxidising conditions, in particular in the case of air ingress accidents. Important uncertainties still remain on the release and transport of this element in such situations, and investigations on this open issue are notably carried out in the SARNET European framework. The present communication gives a general overview of the VERCORS program and presents more deeply the main findings concerning the ruthenium release. Its global behaviour is analysed on the basis of several comparative tests: same UO 2 sample (35 and 50 GWd/t) under hydrogen or steam conditions, similar MOX sample (40 GWd/t) under

  5. COMRAD96, Nuclear Fuel Burnup and Depletion Calculation System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suyama, K.; Masukawa, F.; Ido, M.; Enomoto, M.; Takyu, S.; Hara, T.

    2002-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: Burn-up calculation of nuclear fuel. 2 - Methods: Matrix exponential method, Bateman Equation. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: a) One-grouped cross section library should be prepared for the fuel system to be analyzed using UNITBURN. However, UNITBURN is not available now for UNIX systems. b) Gamma ray spectrometry calculation will fail using the attached piflib routine. This problem has already been rectified in the internal version. 4 - Typical running time: Two minutes for standard burn-up calculation on Sun ULTRA 30. 5 - Unusual features - a) Selection of Matrix exponential method, or Bateman Equation. b) JDDL, a detailed decay chain data based on ENSDF. 6 - Related or auxiliary programs: UNITBURN: Burnup calculation code unit cell system

  6. High Burnup Fuel: Implications and Operational Experience. Proceedings of a Technical Meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2016-08-01

    This publication reports on the outcome of a technical meeting on high burnup fuel experience and economics, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to revisit and update the current operational experience and economic conditions associated with high burnup fuel. International experts with significant experience in experimental programmes on high burnup fuel discussed and evaluated physical limitations at pellet, cladding and structural component levels, with a wide focus including fabrication, core behaviour, transport and intermediate storage for most types of commercial nuclear power plants

  7. In-pile data analysis of the comparative WWER/PWR test IFA-503.1. Final report.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Volkov, B.; Devold, H.; Ryazantzev, E.; Yakovlev, V.

    1999-04-15

    The comparative WWER/PWR test in IFA-503.1 was commenced in July 1995 and successfully finished at the end of November 1998. The main objective of the test was generation of representative and comparative data of standard WWER-440 fuel fabricated at the 'MSZ' Electrostal (Russia) and PWR type fuel manufactured at IFE Kjeller (Norway). The test assembly comprised two clusters, each with 3 WWER rods and 3 PWR type rods. Eight rods with two types of fuel were instrumented with expansion thermometers, four rods were equipped with both fuel stack elongation detectors and pressure transducers. All sensors worked satisfactorily during the test. The average burnups achieved in the lower and upper clusters were around 25 and 20 MWd/kgUO{sub 2}, respectively. Some difference in densification of the two types of fuel was revealed during the first irradiation period. However, the fuel temperatures and commencement of fuel stack swelling were similar despite this fact. At the end of the test the rig was moved to a higher flux position in the HBWR core with the aim of promoting FGR and to compare the behaviour of the two types of fuel under higher power. Pressure measurements indicated a comparable low FGR (around 1 percent) in both types of rods. The centreline temperatures measured in the PWR rods were very close to the Halden FGR threshold whilst the WWER fuel temperatures were slightly lower. Despite the differences found in the behaviour of the two types of fuel during the test, the analysis of the in-pile data showed that these differences would not affect the fuel efficiency, at least, up to the burnup achieved in the test. It is supposed that these differences can be related to the fuel microstructure, in particular to the fuel grain and pore sizes (author) (ml)

  8. In-pile data analysis of the comparative WWER/PWR test IFA-503.1. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Volkov, B.; Devold, H.; Ryazantzev, E.; Yakovlev, V

    1999-04-15

    The comparative WWER/PWR test in IFA-503.1 was commenced in July 1995 and successfully finished at the end of November 1998. The main objective of the test was generation of representative and comparative data of standard WWER-440 fuel fabricated at the 'MSZ' Electrostal (Russia) and PWR type fuel manufactured at IFE Kjeller (Norway). The test assembly comprised two clusters, each with 3 WWER rods and 3 PWR type rods. Eight rods with two types of fuel were instrumented with expansion thermometers, four rods were equipped with both fuel stack elongation detectors and pressure transducers. All sensors worked satisfactorily during the test. The average burnups achieved in the lower and upper clusters were around 25 and 20 MWd/kgUO{sub 2}, respectively. Some difference in densification of the two types of fuel was revealed during the first irradiation period. However, the fuel temperatures and commencement of fuel stack swelling were similar despite this fact. At the end of the test the rig was moved to a higher flux position in the HBWR core with the aim of promoting FGR and to compare the behaviour of the two types of fuel under higher power. Pressure measurements indicated a comparable low FGR (around 1 percent) in both types of rods. The centreline temperatures measured in the PWR rods were very close to the Halden FGR threshold whilst the WWER fuel temperatures were slightly lower. Despite the differences found in the behaviour of the two types of fuel during the test, the analysis of the in-pile data showed that these differences would not affect the fuel efficiency, at least, up to the burnup achieved in the test. It is supposed that these differences can be related to the fuel microstructure, in particular to the fuel grain and pore sizes (author) (ml)

  9. Dissolution studies of spent nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-02-01

    To obtain quantitative data on the dissolution of high burnup spent nuclear fuel, dissolution study have been carried out at the Department of Chemistry, JAERI, from 1984 under the contract with STA entitled 'Reprocessing Test Study of High Burnup Fuel'. In this study PWR spent fuels of 8,400 to 36,100 MWd/t in averaged burnup were dissolved and the chemical composition and distribution of radioactive nuclides were measured for insoluble residue, cladding material (hull), off-gas and dissolved solution. With these analyses basic data concerning the dissolution and clarification process in the reprocessing plant were accumulated. (author)

  10. Improvements on burnup chain model and group cross section library in the SRAC system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akie, Hiroshi; Okumura, Keisuke; Takano, Hideki; Ishiguro, Yukio; Kaneko, Kunio.

    1992-01-01

    Data and functions of the cell burnup calculation of the SRAC system were revised to improve mainly the accuracy of the burnup calculation of high conversion light water reactors (HCLWRs). New burnup chain models were developed in order to treat fission products (FPs) and actinide nuclides in detail. Group cross section library, SRACLIB-JENDL2, was generated based on JENDL-2 nuclear data file. In generating this library, emphasis was placed on FPs and actinides. Also revised were the data such as the average energy release per fission for various actinides. These improved data were verified by performing the burnup analysis of PWR spent fuels. Some new functions were added to the SRAC system for the convenience to yield macroscopic cross sections used in the core burnup process. (author)

  11. The Width of High Burnup Structure in LWR UO2 Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koo, Yang-Hyun; Lee, Byung-Ho; Oh, Jae-Yong; Sohn, Dong-Seong

    2007-01-01

    The measured data available in the open literature on the width of high burnup structure (HBS) in LWR UO 2 fuel were analyzed in terms of pellet average burnup, enrichment, and grain size. Dependence of the HBS width on pellet average burnup was shown to be divided into three regions; while the HBS width is governed by accumulation of fission damage (i.e., burnup) for burnup below 60 GWd/tU, it seems to be restricted to some limiting value of around 1.5 mm for burnup above 75 GWd/tU due to high temperature which might have caused extensive annealing of irradiation damage. As for intermediate burnup between 60 and 75 GWd/tU, although temperature would not have been so high as to induce extensive annealing, the microstructural damage could have been partly annealed, resulting in the reduction of the HBS width. It was found that both enrichment and grain size also affects the HBS width. However, as long as the pellet average burnup is lower than about 75 GWd/tU, the effect does not appear to be significant for the enrichment and grain size that are typically used in current LWR fuel. (authors)

  12. Calculation study of the WWER-440 fuel performance for extended burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kujal, J.; Pazdera, F.; Barta, O.

    1984-01-01

    The results of preliminary calculational study of extended burnup cycling schemes impact on WWER-440 fuel performance are presented. Two high burnup schemes were proposed with three and four cycles, resp. Comparison was made with three cycle reference case. The thermal mechanical analysis was performed with PIN and RELA codes. The values of rod internal pressure, fuel centerline temperatures and fuel-cladding gap are expressed as function of power history. (author)

  13. Expansion of the capabilities of the GA-4 legal weight truck spent fuel shipping cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmer, A.; Razvi, J.; Johnson, L.; Welch, B.; Lancaster, D.

    2004-01-01

    General Atomics (GA) has developed the Model GA-4 Legal Weight Truck Spent Fuel Cask, a high capacity cask for the transport of four PWR spent fuel assemblies, and obtained a Certificate of Compliance (CoC No. 9226) in 1998 from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The currently authorized contents in this CoC however, are much more limiting than the actual capability of the GA-4 cask to transport spent PWR fuel assemblies. The purpose of this paper is to show how the authorized contents can be significantly expanded by additional analyses without any changes to the physical design of the package. Using burnup credit per ISG-8 Rev. 2, the authorized contents can be significantly expanded by increasing the maximum enrichment as the burnup increases. Use of burnup credit eliminates much of the criticality imposed limits on authorized package contents, but shielding still limits the use of the cask for the higher burnup, short cooled fuel. By downloading to two assemblies and using shielding inserts, even the high burnup fuel with reasonable cooling times can be transported

  14. Experimental studies of spent fuel burn-up in WWR-SM reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alikulov, Sh. A.; Baytelesov, S.A.; Boltaboev, A.F.; Kungurov, F.R. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Ulughbek township, 100214, Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Menlove, H.O.; O’Connor, W. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Osmanov, B.S., E-mail: bari_osmanov@yahoo.com [Research Institute of Applied Physics, Vuzgorodok, 100174 Tashkent (Uzbekistan); Salikhbaev, U.S. [Institute of Nuclear Physics, Ulughbek township, 100214, Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

    2014-10-01

    Highlights: • Uranium burn-up measurement from {sup 137}Cs activity in spent reactor fuel. • Comparison to reference sample with known burn-up value (ratio method). • Cross-check of the approach with neutron-based measurement technique. - Abstract: The article reports the results of {sup 235}U burn-up measurements using {sup 137}Cs activity technique for 12 nuclear fuel assemblies of WWR-SM research reactor after 3-year cooling time. The discrepancy between the measured and the calculated burn-up values was about 3%. To increase the reliability of the data and for cross-check purposes, neutron measurement approach was also used. Average discrepancy between two methods was around 12%.

  15. ROX PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akie, H.; Yamashita, T.; Shirasu, N.; Takano, H.; Anoda, Y.; Kimura, H.

    1999-01-01

    For an efficient burnup of excess plutonium from nuclear reactors spent fuels and dismantled warheads, plutonium rock-like oxide(ROX) fuel has been investigated. The ROX fuel is expected to provide high Pu transmutation capability, irradiation stability and chemical and geological stability. While, a zirconia-based ROX(Zr-ROX)-fueled PWR core has some problems of Doppler reactivity coefficient and power peaking factor. For the improvement of these characteristics, two approaches were considered: the additives such as UO 2 , ThO 2 and Er 2 O 3 , and a heterogeneous core with Zr-ROX and UO 2 assemblies. As a result, the additives UO 2 + Er 2 O 3 are found to sufficiently improve the reactivity coefficients and accident behavior, and to flatten power distribution. On the other hand, in the 1/3Zr-ROX + 2/3UO 2 heterogeneous core, further reduction of power peaking seems necessary. (author)

  16. Development of built-in debris-filter bottom nozzle for PWR fuel assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Juntaro Shimizu; Kazuki Monaka; Masaji Mori; Kazuo Ikeda

    2005-01-01

    Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has worked to improve the capability of anti debris bottom nozzle for a PWR fuel assembly. The Current debris filter bottom nozzle (DFBN) having 4mm diameter flow holes can capture the larger size of debris than the flow hole inner diameter. MHI has completed the development of the built-in debris filter bottom nozzle, which is the new idea of the debris-filter for high burnup (55GWd/t assembly average burnup). Built-in debris filter bottom nozzle consists of the blades and nozzle body. The blades made from inconel strip are embedded and welded on the grooved top surface of the bottom nozzle adapter plate. A flow hole is divided by the blade and the trap size of the debris is reduced. Because the blades block the coolant flow, it was anticipated to increase the pressure loss of the nozzle, however, adjusting the relation between blade and taper shape of the flow hole, the pressure loss has been successfully maintained the satisfactory level. Grooves are cut on the nozzle plate; nevertheless, the additional skirts on the four sides of the nozzle compensate the structural strength. (authors)

  17. Steady-state irradiation testing of U-Pu-Zr fuel to >18% burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pahl, R.G.; Wisner, R.S.; Billone, M.C.; Hofman, G.L.

    1990-01-01

    Tests of austenitic stainless steel clad U-xP-10Zr fuel (x=o, 8, 19 wt. %) to peak burnups as high as 18.4 at. % have been completed in the EBR-II. Fuel swelling and fractional fission gas release are slowly increasing functions of burnup beyond 2 at. % burnup. Increasing plutonium content in the fuel reduces swelling and decreases the amount of fission gas which diffuses from fuel to plenum. LIFE-METAL code modelling of cladding strains is consistent with creep by fission gas loading and irradiation-induced swelling mechanisms. Fuel/cladding chemical interaction involves the ingress of rare-earth fission products. Constituent redistribution in the fuel had not limited steady-state performance. Cladding breach behavior at closure welds, in the gas plenum, and in the fuel column region have been benign events. 3 refs., 5 figs

  18. Microstructural change and its influence on fission gas release in high burnup UO 2 fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Une, K.; Nogita, K.; Kashibe, S.; Imamura, M.

    1992-06-01

    The microstructural change of UO 2 fuel pellets (burnup: 6-83 GWd/t), base irradiated under LWR conditions, has been studied by detailed postirradiation examinations. The lattice parameter near the fuel rim in the irradiated UO 2 increased with burnup and appeared to become constant beyond about 50 GWd/t. This lattice dilation was mainly due to the accumulation of radiation induced point defects. Moreover, the dislocation density in the UO 2 matrix developed progressively with burnup, and eventually the tangled dislocations organized many sub-grain boundaries in the highest burnup fuel of 83 GWd/t. This sub-grain structure induced by accumulated radiation damage was compatible in appearance with SEM fractography results which revealed sub-divided grains of sub-micron size in as-fabricated grains. The influence of burnup on 85Kr release from the UO 2 fuels has been examined by means of a postirradiation annealing technique. The higher fractional release of high burnup fuels was mainly due to the burnup dependence of the fractional burst release evolved on temperature ramp. The fractional burst release was represented in terms of the square root of burnup from 6 to 83 GWd/t.

  19. PWR fuel of high enrichment with erbia and enriched gadolinia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bejmer, Klaes-Håkan; Malm, Christian

    2011-01-01

    Today standard PWR fuel is licensed for operation up to 65-70 MWd/kgU, which in most cases corresponds to an enrichment of more than 5 w/o "2"3"5U. Due to criticality safety reason of storage and transportation, only fuel up to 5 w/o "2"3"5U enrichment is so far used. New fuel storage installations and transportation casks are necessary investments before the reactivity level of the fresh fuel can be significantly increased. These investments and corresponding licensing work takes time, and in the meantime a solution that requires burnable poisons in all pellets of the fresh high-enriched fuel might be used. By using very small amounts of burnable absorber in every pellet the initial reactivity can be reduced to today's levels. This study presents core calculations with fuel assemblies enriched to almost 6 w/o "2"3"5U mixed with a small amount of erbia. Some of the assemblies also contain gadolinia. The results are compared to a reference case containing assemblies with 4.95 w/o "2"3"5U without erbia, utilizing only gadolinia as burnable poison. The comparison shows that the number of fresh fuel assemblies can be reduced by 21% (which increases the batch burnup by 24%) by utilizing the erbia fuel concept. However, increased cost of uranium due to higher enrichment is not fully compensated for by the cost gain due to the reduction of the number assemblies. Hence, the fuel cycle cost becomes slightly higher for the high enrichment erbia case than for the reference case. (author)

  20. chemical determination of burnup ratio in nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guereli, L.

    1997-01-01

    Measurements of the extent of fission are important to determine the irradiation performance of a nuclear fuel. The energy released per unit mass of uranium (burnup) can be determined from measurement of the percent of heavy atoms that have fissioned during irradiation.The preferred method for this determination is choosing a suitable fission monitor (usually ''1''4''8Nd) and its determination after separation from the fuel matrix. In thermal reactor fuels where the only heavy element in the starting material is uranium, uranium depletion can be used for burnup determination. ''2''3''5U depletion method requires measurement of uranium isotopic ratios of both irradiated and unirradiated fuel. Isotopic ratios can be determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometer following separation of uranium from the fuel matrix. Separation procedures include solvent extraction, ion exchange and anion exchange chromatography. Another fission monitor used is ''1''3''9La determination by HPLC. Because La is monoisotopic (''1''3''9La) in the fuel, it can be determined by chemical analysis techniques

  1. Experimental support of WWER-440 fuel reliability and serviceability at high burnup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smirnov, A; Ivanov, V; Pnyushkin, A [Nauchno-Issledovatel` skij Inst. Atomnykh Reaktorov, Dimitrovgrad (Russian Federation); Tzibulya, V [AO Mashinostroitelnij Zavod Electrostal (Russian Federation); Kolosovsky, V; Bibilashvili, Yu [Vsesoyuznyj Nauchno-Issledovatel` skij Inst. Neorganicheskikh Materialov, Moscow (Russian Federation); Dubrovin, K [Russian Research Centre Kurchatov Inst., Moscow (Russian Federation)

    1994-12-31

    Results from post-reactor examination of two WWER-440 fuel assemblies spent at the Kola NPP Unit 3 during 4 and 5 fuel cycles are presented. The fuel assembly states and their serviceability allowance are estimated experimentally at the RIAR hot laboratory and studied by non-destructive and destructive methods. The following parameters are examined: fuel assembly overall dimensions change; fuel element diameter change; fuel element cladding corrosion and hydriding; fuel element cladding mechanical properties; fission gas release from fuel and gas pressure; fuel macro- and microstructure. it has been found that the maximum fuel burnup of fuel assemblies No. 1 and No.2 achieved is 58.3 and 64.0 MWd/kg, respectively. The mechanical fuel pellets-cladding interaction has been observed at the average fuel burnup above 45 MWd/kg that occurred with increasing the local cladding diameter at the areas of pellets end arrangement (bamboo stick). The gas release linearly increases at the range 2.7% per 10 MWd/kg within burnup of 43-60 MWd/kg. 9 figs., 3 refs.

  2. CARA design criteria for HWR fuel burnup extension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Florido, P.C.; Cirimello, R.O.; Bergallo, J.E.; Marino, A.C.; Delmastro, D.F.; Brasnarof, D.O.; Gonzalez, J.H.; Juanico, L.A.

    2002-01-01

    A new concept for HWR fuel bundles, namely CARA, is presented. The CARA design allows to improve all the major performances in the PHWR fuel technology. Among others, it reaches higher burnup and thermohydraulic safety margins, together with lower fuel pellet temperatures and Zry/HM mass ratio. Moreover, it keeps the fuel mass content per unit length and the channel pressure drop by using a single diameter of fuel rods. (author)

  3. Estimate of fuel burnup spatial a multipurpose reactor in computer simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, Nadia Rodrigues dos; Lima, Zelmo Rodrigues de; Moreira, Maria de Lourdes

    2015-01-01

    In previous research, which aimed, through computer simulation, estimate the spatial fuel burnup for the research reactor benchmark, material test research - International Atomic Energy Agency (MTR/IAEA), it was found that the use of the code in FORTRAN language, based on the diffusion theory of neutrons and WIMSD-5B, which makes cell calculation, bespoke be valid to estimate the spatial burnup other nuclear research reactors. That said, this paper aims to present the results of computer simulation to estimate the space fuel burnup of a typical multipurpose reactor, plate type and dispersion. the results were considered satisfactory, being in line with those presented in the literature. for future work is suggested simulations with other core configurations. are also suggested comparisons of WIMSD-5B results with programs often employed in burnup calculations and also test different methods of interpolation values obtained by FORTRAN. Another proposal is to estimate the burning fuel, taking into account the thermohydraulics parameters and the appearance of xenon. (author)

  4. Modelling the radial distribution of the inventory of U and Pu isotopes in PWR fuel rods at high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furlano, L.; Marino, A.C.

    2015-01-01

    Nowadays trends on nuclear reactors are to take advantage of a more efficient use of the fuels. In this way, goals like decreasing the volume of radioactive wastes, increasing life time in the reactor, extended burnup and accident-tolerance fuels are taken as the principal guidelines for the design and construction for actual nuclear fuels. The development of tools and the capability of prediction of the behaviour of nuclear fuels under irradiation let us design and improve the new demanding conditions without neglecting the security and economics. In this way, the study of the evolution and details of the fissile material of the fuel in particular the 235 U inventory evolution and the 239 Pu production and evolution are demanding conditions. We implemented the PILR code, based on the RAPID model, for the radial distribution of U and Pu radioisotopes. The aim of this work is to determine production and disappearance of Pu and U isotopes during the irradiation of commercial and experimental fuel rods. (author)

  5. Burnup credit implementation in WWER spent fuel management systems: Status and future aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manolova, M.

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes the motivation for possible burnup credit implementation in WWER spent fuel management systems in Bulgaria. The activities being done are described, namely: the development and verification of a 3D few-group diffusion burnup model; the application of the KORIGEN code for evaluation of WWER fuel nuclear inventory during reactor core lifetime and after spent fuel discharge; using the SCALE modular system (PC Version 4.1) for criticality safety analyses of spent fuel storage facilities. Future plans involving such important tasks as validation and verification of computer systems and libraries for WWER burnup credit analysis are shown. (author)

  6. Highlights of the French program on PWR fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pages, J P [CEA Centre d` Etudes de Cadarache, 13 - Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France). Direction des Reacteurs Nucleaires

    1997-12-01

    The presentation reviews the French programme on PWR fuel including the overall results of the year 1996 for nuclear operation; fuel management and economy; French nuclear electricity generation sites; production of nuclear generated electricity; energy availability of the 900 and 1,300 Mw PWR units; average radioactive liquid releases excluding tritium per unit; plutonium recycling experience.

  7. Burnable poisons in the light water reactor design, microburnup experiments and calculations. Part of a coordinated programme on burnup calculations and experiments for thermal reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penndorf, K.

    1976-04-01

    Investigations on Research Agreement N 1519/CF (1.8.1974 - 31.7.1975) entitled ''Burnable poisons in light water reactor design, microburnup experiments and calculations'' were carried out in the frame of the IAEA's coordinated research programme on ''Burn-up calculation and experiments for thermal reactors''. The theoretical and experimental work on application of solid burnable poison used for reduction of the amount of boric acid necessary to control of PWR or to lower the number of control rods needed in a BWR. Solid burnable poisons are needed in present PWR designs for the reduction of the boron acid concentration in order to prevent positive coefficients of reactivity. The special operational conditions of a ship reactor lead to the application of this kind of poison for compensation of almost all burnup reactivity. This strengthens the necessity of a very accurate and many dimensional calculations because an appropriate binding of reactivity has to be kept over the whole cycle time. Several burnup experiments had been run in the 15 MW material test reactor FRG-II. The following devices have been irradiated: poison pins within and without PWR fuel pin lattice segments and fuel pins containing pellets with a poison core. Measurements of reactivity, fluence, fission product concentration have been performed. Methods applied were γ-scanning and neutron pulse, radiography and transmission measurement techniques. Evaluation of the experiments was done by one and two dimensional Ssub(N) transport burnup calculations. In parallel a collision probability transport burnup code for current PWR design work is being developed, the main feature of which is economy in manpower and computer time

  8. First steps towards modelling high burnup effect in UO{sub 2} fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O` Carroll, C; Lassmann, K; Laar, J Van De; Walker, C T [CEC Joint Research Centre, Karlsruhe (Germany)

    1997-08-01

    High burnup initiates a process that can lead to major microstructural changes near the edge of the fuel: formation of subgrains, the loss of matrix fission gas and an increase in porosity. A consequence of this, is a decrease of thermal conductivity near the edge of the fuel which may be major implications for the performance of LWR fuels at higher burnup. The mechanism for the changes in grain structure, the apparent depletion of Xe and increase in porosity is associated with the high fission density at the fuel periphery. This is in turn due to the preferential capture of epithermal neutrons in the resonances of {sup 238}U. The new model TUBRNP predicts the radial burnup profile as a function of time together with the radial profile of plutonium. The model has been validated with data from LWR UO{sub 2} fuels with enrichments in the range 2 to 8.25% and burnups between 21 to 75 Gwd/t. It has been reported that at high burnup EPMA measures a sharp decrease in the concentration of Xe near the fuel surface. This loss of Xe is interpreted as a signal that the gas has been swept out of the original grains into pores: this ``missing`` Xe has been measured by XRF. It has been noted experimentally that the restructuring (Xe depletion and changes in grain structure) have an onset threshold local burnup in the region of 70 to 80 GWd/t: a specific value was taken for use in the model. For a given fuel TUBRNP predicts the local burnup profile, and the depth corresponding to the threshold value is taken to be the thickness of the Xe depleted region. The theoretical predictions have been compared with experimental data. The results are presented and should be seen as a first step in the development of a more detailed model of this phenomenon. (author). 22 refs, 9 figs, 2 tabs.

  9. Technical and economic limits to fuel burnup extension. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2002-07-01

    For many years, the increase of efficiency in the production of nuclear electricity has been an economic challenge in many countries which have developed this kind of energy. The increase of fuel burnup leads to a reduction in the volume of spent fuel discharged to longer fuel cycles in the reactor, which means bigger availability and capacity factors. After having increased the authorized burnup in plants, developing new alloys capable of resisting high burnup, and having accumulated data on fuel evolution with burnup, it has become necessary to establish the limitations which could be imposed by the physical evolution of the fuel, influencing fuel management, neutron properties, reprocessing or, more generally, the management of waste and irradiated fuels. It is also necessary to verify whether the benefits of lower electricity costs would not be offset by an increase in fuel management costs. The main questions are: Are technical and economic limits to the increasing of fuel burnup in parallel? Can we envisage nowadays the hardest limitation in some of these areas? Which are the main points to be solved from the technical point of view? Is this effort worthwhile considering the economy of the cycle? To which extent? For these reasons, the IAEA, following a recommendation by the International Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology, held a Technical Committee Meeting on Technical and Economic Limits to Fuel Burnup Extension. The purpose of this meeting was to provide an international forum to review the evolution of fuel properties at increased burnup in order to estimate the limitations both from a physical and an economic point of view. The meeting was therefore divided into two parts. The first part, focusing on technical limits, was devoted to the improvement of the fuel element, such as fission gas release (FGR), RIM effect, cladding, etc. and the fabrication, core management, spent fuel and reprocessing. Eighteen related papers were presented which

  10. PWR and BWR light water reactor systems in the USA and their fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crawford, W.D.

    1977-01-01

    Light water reactor operating experience in the USA can be considered to date from the choice of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) for use in the naval reactor program and the subsequent construction and operation of the nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Pennsylvania in 1957. The development of the boiling water reactor (BWR) in 1954 and its selection for the plant at Dresden, Illinois in 1959 established this concept as the other major reactor type in the US nuclear power program. The subsequent growth profile is presented, leading to 31 PWR's and 23 BWR's currently in operation as well as to plants in the planning and construction phase. A significant operating record has been accumulated concerning the availability of each of these reactor types as determined by: (1) outage for refueling, (2) component reliability, (3) maintenance requirements, and (4) retrofitting required by government regulation. In addition, the use and performance of BWR's and PWR's in meeting system load requirements is discussed. The growing concern regarding possible terrorist activities and other potential threats has resulted in systems and procedures designed to assure effective safeguards at nuclear power installations. Safeguards measures currently in place are described. Environmental effects of operating plants are subject to both radiological and non-radiological monitoring to verify that results are within the limits established in the licensing process. The operating results achieved and the types of modifications that have been required of operating plants by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are reviewed. The PWR and BWR Fuel Cycle is examined in terms of: (1) fuel burnup experience and prospects for improvement, (2) the status and outlook for natural uranium resources, (3) enrichment capacity, (4) reprocessing and recycle, and the interrelationships among the latter three factors. High level waste management currently involving on-site storage of spent fuel is discussed

  11. Investigation of research and development subjects for the Very High Burnup Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Kimio; Amano, Hidetoshi; Suzuki, Yasufumi; Furuta, Teruo; Nagase, Fumihisa; Suzuki, Masahide

    1993-06-01

    A concept of the Very High Burnup Fuel aiming at a maximum fuel assembly burnup of 100 GWd/t has been proposed in terms of burnup extension, utilization of Pu and transmutation of transuranium elements (TRU: Np, Am and Cm). The authors have investigated research and development (R and D) subjects of the fuel pellet and the cladding material of the Fuel. The present report describes the results on the fuel pellet. First, the chemical state of the Fuel and fission products (FP) was inferred through an FP-inventory and an equilibrium-thermodynamics calculations. Besides, knowledge obtained from post-irradiation examinations was surveyed. Next, an investigation was made on irradiation behavior of U/Pu mixed oxide (MOX) fuel with high enrichment of Pu, as well as on fission-gas release and swelling behavior of high burnup fuels. Reprocessibility of the Fuel, particularly solubility of the spent fuel, was also examined. As for the TRU-added fuel, material property data on TRU oxides were surveyed and summarized as a database. And the subjects on the production and the irradiation behavior were examined on the basis of experiences of MOX fuel production and TRU-added fuel irradiation. As a whole, the present study revealed the necessity of accumulating fundamental data and knowledge required for design and assessment of the fuel pellet, including the information on properties and irradiation performance of the TRU-added fuel. Finally, the R and D subjects were summarized, and a proposal was made on the way of development of the fuel pellet and cladding materials. (author)

  12. Fuel performance under normal PWR conditions: A review of relevant experimental results and models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charles, M.; Lemaignan, C.

    1992-06-01

    Experiments conducted at Grenoble (CEA/DRN) over the past 20 years in the field of nuclear fuel behaviour are reviewed. Of particular concern is the need to achieve a comprehensive understanding of and subsequently overcome the limitations associated with high burnup and load-following conditions (pellet-cladding interaction (PCI), fission gas release (FGR), water-side corrosion). A general view is given of the organization of research work as well as some experimental details (irradiation, postirradiation examination — PIE). Based on various experimental programmes (Cyrano, Medicis, Anemone, Furet, Tango, Contact, Cansar, Hatac, Flog, Decor), the main contributions of the thermomechanical behaviour of a PWR fuel rod are described: thermal conductivity, in-pile densification, swelling, fission gas release in steady state and moderate transient conditions, gap thermal conductance, formation of primary and secondary ridges under PCI conditions. Specific programmes (Gdgrif, Thermox, Grimox) are devoted to the behaviour of particular fuels (gadolinia-bearing fuel, MOX fuel). Moreover, microstructure-based studies have been undertaken on fission gas release (fine analysis of the bubble population inside irradiated fuel samples), and on cladding behaviour (PCI related studies on stress-corrosion cracking (SCO, irradiation effects on zircaloy microstructure).

  13. Investigation of very high burnup UO{sub 2} fuels in Light Water Reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cappia, Fabiola

    2017-03-27

    Historically, the average discharge burnup of Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel has increased almost continuously. On one side, increase in the average discharge burnup is attractive because it contributes to decrease part of the fuel cycle costs. On the other side, it raises the practical problem of predicting the performance, longevity and properties of reactor fuel elements upon accumulation of irradiation damage and fission products both during in-reactor operation and after discharge. Performance of the fuel and structural components of the core is one of the critical areas on which the economic viability and public acceptance of nuclear energy production hinges. Along the pellet radius, the fuel matrix is subjected to extremely heterogeneous alteration and damage, as a result of temperature and burnup gradients. In particular, in the peripheral region of LWR UO{sub 2} fuel pellets, when the local burnup exceeds 50-70 GWd/tHM, a microstructural transformation starts to take place, as a consequence of enhanced accumulation of radiation damage, fission products and limited thermal recovery. The newly formed structure is commonly named High Burnup Structure (HBS). The HBS is characterised by three main features: (a) formation of submicrometric grains from the original grains, (b) depletion of fission gas from the fuel matrix, (c) steep increase in the porosity, which retains most of the gas depleted from the fuel matrix. The last two aspects rose significant attention because of the important impact of the fission gas behaviour on integral fuel performance. The porosity increase controls the gas-driven swelling, worsening the cladding loading once the fuel-cladding gap is closed. Another concern is that the large retention of fission gas within the HBS could lead to significant release at high burnups through the degradation of thermal conductivity or contribute to fuel pulverisation during accidental conditions. Need of more experimental investigations about the

  14. Analysis of high burnup fuel behavior under control rod ejection accident in Korea standard nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Chan Bok; Lee, Chung Chan; Kim, Oh Hwan; Kim, Jong Jin

    1996-07-01

    Test results of high burnup fuel behavior under RIA(reactivity insertion accident) indicated that fuel might fail at the fuel enthalpy lower than that in the current fuel failure criteria was derived by the conservative assumptions and analysis of fuel failure mechanisms, and applied to the analysis of control rod ejection accident in the 1,000 MWe Korea standard PWR. Except that three dimensional core analysis was performed instead of conventional zero dimensional analysis, all the other conservative assumptions were kept. Analysis results showed that less than on percent of the fuel rods in the core has failed which was much less than the conventional fuel failure fraction, 9.8 %, even though a newly derived fuel failure criteria -Fuel failure occurs at the power level lower than that in the current fuel failure criteria. - was applied, since transient fuel rod power level was significantly decreased by analyzing the transient fuel rod power level was significantly decreased by analyzing the transient core three dimensionally. Therefore, it can be said that results of the radiological consequence analysis for the control rod ejection accident in the FSAR where fuel failure fraction was assumed 9.8 % is still bounding. 18 tabs., 48 figs., 39 refs. (Author)

  15. Fission-gas release in fuel performing to extended burnups in Ontario Hydro nuclear generating stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Floyd, M.R.; Novak, J.; Truant, P.T.

    1992-06-01

    The average discharge burnup of CANDU fuel is about 200 MWh/kgU. A significant number of 37-element bundles have achieved burnups in excess of 400 MWh/kgU. Some of these bundles have experienced failures related to their extended operation. To date, hot-cell examinations have been performed on fuel elements from nine 37-element bundles irradiated in Bruce NGS-A that have burnups in the range of 300-800 MWh/kgU. 1 Most of these have declining power histories from peak powers of up to 59 kW/m. Fission-gas releases of up to 26% have been observed and exhibit a strong dependence on fuel power. This obscures any dependence on burnup. The extent of fission-gas release at extended burnups was not predicted by low-burnup code extrapolations. This is attributed primarily to a reduction in fuel thermal conductivity which results in elevated operating temperatures. Reduced conductivity is due, at least in part, to the buildup of fission products in the fuel matrix. Some evidence of hyperstoichiometry exists, although this needs to be further investigated along with any possible relation to CANLUB graphite coating behaviour and sheath oxidation. Residual tensile sheath strains of up to 2% have been observed and can be correlated with fuel power/fission-gas release. SCC 2 -related defects have been observed in the sheath and endcaps of elements from bundles experiencing declining power histories to burnups in excess of 500 MWh/kgU. This indicates that the current recommended burnup limit of 450 MWh/kgU is justified. SCC-related defects have also been observed in ramped bundles having burnups < 450 MWh/kgU. Hence, additional guidelines are in place for power ramping extended-burnup fuel

  16. Influence of spectral history on PWR full core calculation results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilodid, Y.; Mittag, S.

    2011-01-01

    The few-group cross section libraries, used by reactor dynamics codes, are affected by the spectral history effect-a dependence of fuel cross sections not only on burnup, but also on local spectral conditions during burnup. A cross section correction method based on Pu-239 concentration was implemented in the reactor dynamic code DYN3D. This paper describes the influence of a cross section correction on full-core calculation results. Steady-state and burnup characteristics of a PWR equilibrium cycle, calculated by DYN3D with and without cross section corrections, are compared. A study has shown a significant influence of spectral history on axial power and burnup distributions as well as on calculated cycle length. An impact of the correction on transient calculations is studied for a control rod ejection example. (Authors)

  17. An analysis of nuclear fuel burnup in the AGR-1 TRISO fuel experiment using gamma spectrometry, mass spectrometry, and computational simulation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harp, Jason M.; Demkowicz, Paul A.; Winston, Philip L.; Sterbentz, James W.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The burnup of irradiated AGR-1 TRISO fuel was analyzed using gamma spectrometry. • The burnup of irradiated AGR-1 TRISO fuel was also analyzed using mass spectrometry. • Agreement between experimental results and neutron physics simulations was excellent. - Abstract: AGR-1 was the first in a series of experiments designed to test US TRISO fuel under high temperature gas-cooled reactor irradiation conditions. This experiment was irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and is currently undergoing post-irradiation examination (PIE) at INL and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. One component of the AGR-1 PIE is the experimental evaluation of the burnup of the fuel by two separate techniques. Gamma spectrometry was used to non-destructively evaluate the burnup of all 72 of the TRISO fuel compacts that comprised the AGR-1 experiment. Two methods for evaluating burnup by gamma spectrometry were developed, one based on the Cs-137 activity and the other based on the ratio of Cs-134 and Cs-137 activities. Burnup values determined from both methods compared well with the values predicted from simulations. The highest measured burnup was 20.1% FIMA (fissions per initial heavy metal atom) for the direct method and 20.0% FIMA for the ratio method (compared to 19.56% FIMA from simulations). An advantage of the ratio method is that the burnup of the cylindrical fuel compacts can be determined in small (2.5 mm) axial increments and an axial burnup profile can be produced. Destructive chemical analysis by inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was then performed on selected compacts that were representative of the expected range of fuel burnups in the experiment to compare with the burnup values determined by gamma spectrometry. The compacts analyzed by mass spectrometry had a burnup range of 19.3% FIMA to 10.7% FIMA. The mass spectrometry evaluation of burnup for the four compacts agreed well with the gamma

  18. A scheme of better utilization of PWR spent fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Bum Jin; Kang, Chang Soon

    1991-01-01

    The recycle of PWR spent fuels in a CANDU reactor, so called the tandem fuel cycle is investigated in this study. This scheme of utilizing PWR spent fuels will ease the shortage of spent fuel storage capacity as well as will improve the use of uranium resources. The minimum modification the design of present CANDU reactor is seeked in the recycle. Nine different fuel types are considered in this work and are classified into two categories: refabrication and reconfiguration. For refabrication, PWR spent fuels are processed and refabricated into the present 37 rod lattice structure of fuel bundle, and for reconfiguration, meanwhile, spent fuels are simply disassembled and rods are cut to fit into the present grid configuration of fuel bundle without refabrication. For each fuel option, the neutronics calculation of lattice was conducted to evaluate the allowable burn up and distribution. The fuel cycle cost of each option was also computed to assess the economic justification. The results show that most tandem fuel cycle option considered in this study are technically feasible as well as economically viable. (Author)

  19. K-infinite trends with burnup, enrichment, and cooling time for BWR fuel assemblies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.

    1998-08-01

    This report documents the work performed by ORNL for the Yucca Mountain project (YMP) M and O contractor, Framatome Cogema Fuels. The goal of this work was to obtain k inf values for infinite arrays of flooded boiling-water-reactor (BWR) fuel assemblies as a function of various burnup/enrichment and cooling-time combinations. These scenarios simulate expected limiting criticality loading conditions (for a given assembly type) for drift emplacements in a repository. Upon consultation with the YMP staff, a Quad Cities BWR fuel assembly was selected as a baseline assembly. This design consists of seven axial enrichment zones, three of which contain natural uranium oxide. No attempt was made to find a bounding or even typical assembly design due to the wide variety in fuel assembly designs necessary for consideration. The current work concentrates on establishing a baseline analysis, along with a small number of sensitivity studies which can be expected later if desired. As a result of similar studies of this nature, several effects are known to be important in the determination of the final k inf for spent fuel in a cask-like geometry. For a given enrichment there is an optimal burnup: for lower burnups, excess energy (and corresponding excess reactivity) is present in the fuel assembly; for larger burnups, the assembly is overburned and essentially driven by neighboring fuel assemblies. The majority of the burnup/enrichment scenarios included in this study were for some near-optimum burnup/enrichment combinations as determined from Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. Several calculations were performed for under- and over-burned fuel to show these effects

  20. Implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems. Proceedings of an advisory group meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-04-01

    The criticality safety analysis of spent fuel systems has traditionally assumed that the fuel is fresh. This results in significant conservatism in the calculated value of the system's reactivity. Improved calculational methods allows one to take credit for the reactivity reduction associated with fuel burnup, hence reducing the analysis conservatism while maintaining an adequate criticality safety margin. Motivation for using burnup credit in criticality safety applications is generally based on economic considerations. Although economics may be a primary factor in deciding to use burnup credit, other benefits may be realized. Many of the additional benefits of burnup credit that are not strictly economic, may be considered to contribute to public health and safety, and resource conservation and environmental quality. Interest in the implementation of burnup credit has been shown by many countries. A summary of the information gathered by the IAEA about ongoing activities and regulatory status of burnup credit in different countries is included. Burnup credit implementation introduces new parameters and effects that should be addressed in the criticality analysis (e.g., axial and radial burnup shapes, fuel irradiation history, and others). Analysis of these parameters introduces new variations as well as the uncertainties, that should be considered in the safety assessment of the system. Also, the need arises to validate the isotopic composition that results from a depletion calculation, as well as to extend the current validation range of criticality codes to cover spent fuel. The use of burnup credit implies a verification of the fuel burnup before loading for transport, storage, disposal, or reprocessing each assembly, to make sure that the burnup level achieved complies with the criteria established. Methods and procedures used in different countries are described in this report

  1. Implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems. Proceedings of an advisory group meeting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-04-01

    The criticality safety analysis of spent fuel systems has traditionally assumed that the fuel is fresh. This results in significant conservatism in the calculated value of the system`s reactivity. Improved calculational methods allows one to take credit for the reactivity reduction associated with fuel burnup, hence reducing the analysis conservatism while maintaining an adequate criticality safety margin. Motivation for using burnup credit in criticality safety applications is generally based on economic considerations. Although economics may be a primary factor in deciding to use burnup credit, other benefits may be realized. Many of the additional benefits of burnup credit that are not strictly economic, may be considered to contribute to public health and safety, and resource conservation and environmental quality. Interest in the implementation of burnup credit has been shown by many countries. A summary of the information gathered by the IAEA about ongoing activities and regulatory status of burnup credit in different countries is included. Burnup credit implementation introduces new parameters and effects that should be addressed in the criticality analysis (e.g., axial and radial burnup shapes, fuel irradiation history, and others). Analysis of these parameters introduces new variations as well as the uncertainties, that should be considered in the safety assessment of the system. Also, the need arises to validate the isotopic composition that results from a depletion calculation, as well as to extend the current validation range of criticality codes to cover spent fuel. The use of burnup credit implies a verification of the fuel burnup before loading for transport, storage, disposal, or reprocessing each assembly, to make sure that the burnup level achieved complies with the criteria established. Methods and procedures used in different countries are described in this report. Refs, figs, tabs.

  2. Fission gas release and pellet microstructure change of high burnup BWR fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itagaki, N.; Ohira, K.; Tsuda, K.; Fischer, G.; Ota, T.

    1998-01-01

    UO 2 fuel, with and without Gadolinium, irradiated for three, five, and six irradiation cycles up to about 60 GWd/t pellet burnup in a commercial BWR were studied. The fission gas release and the rim effect were investigated by the puncture test and gas analysis method, OM (optical microscope), SEM (scanning electron microscope), and EPMA (electron probe microanalyzer). The fission gas release rate of the fuel rods irradiated up to six cycles was below a few percent; there was no tendency for the fission gas release to increase abruptly with burnup. On the other hand, microstructure changes were revealed by OM and SEM examination at the rim position with burnup increase. Fission gas was found depleted at both the rim position and the pellet center region using EPMA. There was no correlation between the fission gas release measured by the puncture test and the fission gas depletion at the rim position using EPMA. However, the depletion of fission gas in the center region had good correlation with the fission gas release rate determined by the puncture test. In addition, because the burnup is very large at the rim position of high burnup fuel and also due to the fission rate of the produced Pu, the Xe/Kr ratio at the rim position of high burnup fuel is close to the value of the fission yield of Pu. The Xe/Kr ratio determined by the gas analysis after the puncture test was equivalent to the fuel average but not to the pellet rim position. From the results, it was concluded that fission gas at the rim position was released from the UO 2 matrix in high burnup, however, most of this released fission gas was held in the porous structure and not released from the pellet to the free volume. (author)

  3. ROX PWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akie, H.; Yamashita, T.; Shirasu, N.; Takano, H.; Anoda, Y.; Kimura, H. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1999-12-01

    For an efficient burnup of excess plutonium from nuclear reactors spent fuels and dismantled warheads, plutonium rock-like oxide(ROX) fuel has been investigated. The ROX fuel is expected to provide high Pu transmutation capability, irradiation stability and chemical and geological stability. While, a zirconia-based ROX(Zr-ROX)-fueled PWR core has some problems of Doppler reactivity coefficient and power peaking factor. For the improvement of these characteristics, two approaches were considered: the additives such as UO{sub 2}, ThO{sub 2} and Er{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and a heterogeneous core with Zr-ROX and UO{sub 2} assemblies. As a result, the additives UO{sub 2}+ Er{sub 2}O{sub 3} are found to sufficiently improve the reactivity coefficients and accident behavior, and to flatten power distribution. On the other hand, in the 1/3Zr-ROX + 2/3UO{sub 2} heterogeneous core, further reduction of power peaking seems necessary. (author)

  4. Regulatory status of burnup credit for storage and transport of spent fuel in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuber, J.C.; Schweer, H.H.; Johann, H.G.

    2001-01-01

    This paper describes the regulatory status of burnup credit applications to pond storage and dry-cask transport and storage of spent fuel in Germany. Burnup credit for wet storage of LWR fuel at nuclear power plants has to comply with the newly developed safety standard DIN 25471. This standard establishes the safety requirements for burnup credit criticality safety analysis of LWR fuel storage ponds and gives guidance on meeting these requirements. Licensing evaluations of dry transport systems are based on the application of the IAEA Safety Standards Series No.ST-1. However, because of the fact that burnup credit for dry-cask transport becomes more and more inevitable due to increasing initial enrichment of the fuel, and because of the increasing importance of dry-cask storage in Germany, the necessity of giving regulatory guidance on applying burnup credit to dry-cask transport and storage is seen. (author)

  5. Burnup code for fuel assembly by Monte Carlo code. MKENO-BURN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, Yoshitaka; Suyama, Kenya; Masukawa, Fumihiro; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Kurosawa, Masayoshi; Kaneko, Toshiyuki.

    1996-12-01

    The evaluation of neutron spectrum is so important for burnup calculation of the heterogeneous geometry like recent BWR fuel assembly. MKENO-BURN is a multi dimensional burnup code that based on the three dimensional monte carlo neutron transport code 'MULTI-KENO' and the routine for the burnup calculation of the one dimensional burnup code 'UNITBURN'. MKENO-BURN analyzes the burnup problem of arbitrary regions after evaluating the neutron spectrum and making one group cross section in three dimensional geometry with MULTI-KENO. It enables us to do three dimensional burnup calculation. This report consists of general description of MKENO-BURN and the input data. (author)

  6. Burnup code for fuel assembly by Monte Carlo code. MKENO-BURN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naito, Yoshitaka; Suyama, Kenya; Masukawa, Fumihiro; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Kurosawa, Masayoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Kaneko, Toshiyuki

    1996-12-01

    The evaluation of neutron spectrum is so important for burnup calculation of the heterogeneous geometry like recent BWR fuel assembly. MKENO-BURN is a multi dimensional burnup code that based on the three dimensional monte carlo neutron transport code `MULTI-KENO` and the routine for the burnup calculation of the one dimensional burnup code `UNITBURN`. MKENO-BURN analyzes the burnup problem of arbitrary regions after evaluating the neutron spectrum and making one group cross section in three dimensional geometry with MULTI-KENO. It enables us to do three dimensional burnup calculation. This report consists of general description of MKENO-BURN and the input data. (author)

  7. The DACC system. Code burnup of cell for projection of the fuel elements in the power net work PWR and BWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cepraga, D.; Boeriu, St.; Gheorghiu, E.; Cristian, I.; Patrulescu, I.; Cimporescu, D.; Ciuvica, P.; Velciu, E.

    1975-01-01

    The calculation system DACC-5 is a zero-dimensional reactor physics code used to calculate the criticality and burn-up of light-water reactors. The code requires as input essential extensive reactor parameters (fuel rod radius, water density, etc.). The nuclear constants (intensive parameters) are calculated with a five-group model (2 thermal and 3 fast groups). A fitting procedure is systematically employed to reduce the computation time of the code. Zero-dimensional burn-up calculations are made in an automatic way. Part one of the paper contains the code physical model and computer structure. Part two of the paper will contain tests of DACC-5 credibility for different light-water power lattices

  8. Past experience and future needs for the use of burnup credit in LWR fuel storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boyd, W.A.; Wrights, G.N.

    1987-01-01

    To achieve improved fuel economics and reduce the amount of fuel discharged annually, utilities are engaging in fuel management strategies that will achieve higher discharge burnups for their fuel assemblies. Although burnup credit methodologies have been developed and spent-fuel racks have been licensed, burnup credit fuel storage racks are not the answer for all utilities. Off-site and out-of-pool spent-fuel storage may be more appropriate. This is leading to the development of dry spent-fuel storage and shipping casks. Cask designs with spent-fuel storage capability between 20 and 32 assemblies are being developed by several vendors. The US Dept. of Energy is also funding work by VEPCO. Westinghouse is currently licensing its dry storage cask, developing a shipping cask for the domestic market, and is involved in a joint venture to develop a cask for the international market. Although methods of taking credit for fuel burnup in spent-fuel storage racks have been developed and licensed, use of these methods on dry spent-fuel storage and shipping casks can lead to new issues. These issues arise because the excess reactivity margin that is inherent in a burnup credit spent-fuel storage rack criticality analysis will not be available in a dry cask analysis

  9. The use of burnup credit for spent fuel cask design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lake, W.H.

    1993-01-01

    A new generation of high capacity spent fuel transport casks is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Federal Waste Management System (FWMS). Burnup credit, which recognizes the reduced reactivity of spent fuel is being used for these casks. Two cask designs being developed for DOE by Babcock and Wilcox and General Atomics use burnup credit. The cask designs must be certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) if they are to be used in the FWMS. Certification of these casks by the NRC would not require any change in the NRC's transport regulations, and would be consistent with past practices. Furthermore, use of burnup credit casks appears to be consistent with current International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rules and regulations. To support NRC certification, DOE has identified the technical issues related to burnup credit, and embarked on a development program to resolve them. (J.P.N.)

  10. On the rate determining step in fission gas release from high burn-up water reactor fuel during power transients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walker, C.T.; Mogensen, M.

    1987-01-01

    The radial distribution of grain boundary gas in a PWR and a BWR fuel is reported. The measurements were made using a new approach involving X-ray fluorescence analysis and electron probe microanalysis. In both fuels the concentration of grain boundary gas was much higher than hitherto suspected. The gas was mainly contained in the bubble/pore structure. The factors that determined the fraction of gas released from the grains and the level of gas retention on the grain boundaries are identified and discussed. The variables involved are the local fuel stoichiometry, the amount of open porosity, the magnitude of the local compressive hydrostatic stress and the interaction of metallic precipitates with gas bubbles on the grain faces. It is concluded that under transient conditions the interlinkage of gas bubbles on the grain faces and the subsequent formation of grain edge tunnels is the rate determining step for gas release; at least when high burn-up fuel is involved. (orig.)

  11. A study on the direct use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU -A study on the radioactive waste management for DUPIC fuel cycle-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyun Soo; Jun, Kwan Sik; Nah, Jung Won; Park, Jang Jin; Kim, Jong Hoh; Cho, Yung Hyun; Baek, Seung Woo; Shin, Jin Myung; Yang, Seung Yung

    1994-07-01

    The immobilization materials for radioactive wastes resulting from the DUPIC fuel manufacturing process were selected and their characteristics were evaluated. To predict the trapping behavior of the Ruthenium, a semi-volatile nuclide, its volatility was measured and thermogravimetric analysis were performed with simulated fuel. New Ruthenium trapping material was developed which is deposited on ceramic honey-comb monolith of cordierite. The base glass was manufactured with fly ash added to the borosilicate glass. The composition of the scrap waste was calculated based on the PWR spent fuel which has initial 235 U content of 3.5%, burnup of 35,000 MWD/MTU and cooling time of 10 years. Simulated waste glass was manufactured, and its chemical durability was evaluated by soxhlet leach test. Radioactivity of non-oxidized cladding material were measured. The preliminary design criteria were prepared for off-gas treatment system in IMEF. 31 figs, 42 tabs, 51 refs. (Author)

  12. Study of the lattice parameter evolution of PWR irradiated MOX fuel by X-Ray diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clavier, B.

    1995-01-01

    Fuel irradiation leads to a swelling resulting from the formation of gaseous (Kr, Xe) or solid fission products which are found either in solution or as solid inclusions in the matrix. This phenomena has to be evaluated to be taken into account in fuel cladding Interaction. Fuel swelling was studied as a function of burn up by measuring the corresponding cell constant evolution by X-Ray diffraction. This study was realized on Mixed Oxide Fuels (MOX) irradiated in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) at different burn-up for 3 initial Pu contents. Lattice parameter evolutions were followed as a function of burn-up for the irradiated fuel with and without an annealing thermal treatment. These experimental evolutions are compared to the theoretical evolutions calculated from the hard sphere model, using the fission product concentrations determined by the APPOLO computer code. Contribution of varying parameters influencing the unit cell value is discussed. Thermal treatment effects were checked by metallography, X-Ray diffraction and microprobe analysis. After thermal treatment, no structural change was observed but a decrease of the lattice parameter was measured. This modification results essentially from self-irradiation defect annealing and not from stoichiometry variations. Microprobe analysis showed that about 15% of the formed Molybdenum is in solid solution In the oxide matrix. Micrographs showed the existence of Pu packs in the oxide matrix which induces a broadening of diffraction lines. The RIETVELD method used to analyze the X-Ray patterns did not allow to characterize independently the Pu packs and the oxide matrix lattice parameters. Nevertheless, with this method, the presence of micro-strains in the irradiated nuclear fuel could be confirmed. (author)

  13. High Burnup Fuel Performance and Safety Research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bang, Je Keun; Lee, Chan Bok; Kim, Dae Ho (and others)

    2007-03-15

    The worldwide trend of nuclear fuel development is to develop a high burnup and high performance nuclear fuel with high economies and safety. Because the fuel performance evaluation code, INFRA, has a patent, and the superiority for prediction of fuel performance was proven through the IAEA CRP FUMEX-II program, the INFRA code can be utilized with commercial purpose in the industry. The INFRA code was provided and utilized usefully in the universities and relevant institutes domesticallly and it has been used as a reference code in the industry for the development of the intrinsic fuel rod design code.

  14. Thermal property change of MOX and UO{sub 2} irradiated up to high burnup of 74 GWd/t

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakae, Nobuo, E-mail: nakae-nobuo@jnes.go.jp [Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES), Toranomon Towers Office, 4-1-28, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 (Japan); Akiyama, Hidetoshi; Miura, Hiromichi; Baba, Toshikazu; Kamimura, Katsuichiro [Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization (JNES), Toranomon Towers Office, 4-1-28, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001 (Japan); Kurematsu, Shigeru; Kosaka, Yuji [Nuclear Development Corporation (NDC), 622-12, Funaishikawa, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1111 (Japan); Yoshino, Aya; Kitagawa, Takaaki [Mitsubishi Nuclear Fuel Co., LTD. (MNF), 12-1, Yurakucho 1-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0006 (Japan)

    2013-09-15

    Thermal property is important because it controls fuel behavior under irradiation. The thermal property change at high burnup of more than 70 GWd/t is examined. Two kinds of MOX fuel rods, which were fabricated by MIMAS and SBR methods, and one referenced UO{sub 2} fuel rod were used in the experiment. These rods were taken from the pre-irradiated rods (IFA 609/626, of which irradiation test were carried out by Japanese PWR group) and re-fabricated and re-irradiated in HBWR as IFA 702 by JNES. The specification of fuel corresponds to that of 17 × 17 PWR type fuel and the axially averaged linear heat rates (LHR) of MOX rods are 25 kW/m (BOL of IFA 702) and 20 kW/m (EOL of IFA 702). The axial peak burnups achieved are about 74 GWd/t for both of MOX and UO{sub 2}. Centerline temperature and plenum gas pressure were measured in situ during irradiation. The measured centerline temperature is plotted against LHR at the position where thermocouples are fixed. The slopes of MOX are corresponded to each other, but that of UO{sub 2} is higher than those of MOX. This implies that the thermal conductivity of MOX is higher than that of UO{sub 2} at high burnup under the condition that the pellet–cladding gap is closed during irradiation. Gap closure is confirmed by the metallography of the postirradiation examinations. It is understood that thermal conductivity of MOX is lower than that of UO{sub 2} before irradiation since phonon scattering with plutonium in MOX becomes remarkable. A phonon scattering with plutonium decreases in MOX when burnup proceeds. Thus, thermal conductivity of MOX becomes close to that of UO{sub 2}. A reverse phenomenon is observed at high burnup region. The phonon scattering with fission products such as Nd and Zr causes a degradation of thermal conductivity of burnt fuel. It might be speculated that this scattering effect causes the phenomenon and the mechanism is discussed here.

  15. Burnup measurements on spent fuel elements of the RP-10 research reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vela Mora, Mariano; Gallardo Padilla, Alberto; Palomino, Jose Luis Castro, E-mail: mvela@ipen.gob.p [Instituto Peruano de Energia Nuclear (IPEN/Peru), Lima (Peru). Grupo de Calculo, Analisis y Seguridad de Reactores; Terremoto, Luis Antonio Albiac, E-mail: laaterre@ipen.b [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    This work describes the measurement, using nondestructive gamma-ray spectroscopy, of the average burnup attained by Material Testing Reactor (MTR) fuel elements irradiated in the RP-10 research reactor. Measurements were performed at the reactor storage pool area using {sup 137}Cs as the only burnup monitor, even for spent fuel elements with cooling times much shorter than two years. The experimental apparatus was previously calibrated in efficiency to obtain absolute average burnup values, which were compared against corresponding ones furnished by reactor physics calculations. The mean deviation between both values amounts to 6%. (author)

  16. Burnup measurements on spent fuel elements of the RP-10 research reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vela Mora, Mariano; Gallardo Padilla, Alberto; Palomino, Jose Luis Castro

    2011-01-01

    This work describes the measurement, using nondestructive gamma-ray spectroscopy, of the average burnup attained by Material Testing Reactor (MTR) fuel elements irradiated in the RP-10 research reactor. Measurements were performed at the reactor storage pool area using 137 Cs as the only burnup monitor, even for spent fuel elements with cooling times much shorter than two years. The experimental apparatus was previously calibrated in efficiency to obtain absolute average burnup values, which were compared against corresponding ones furnished by reactor physics calculations. The mean deviation between both values amounts to 6%. (author)

  17. Calculation of burn-up data for spent LWR-fuels with respect to the design of spent fuel reprocessing plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasteiger, R.

    1976-11-01

    The design of spent fuel reprocessing plants makes necessary a detailed knowledge of the composition of the incoming fuels as a function of burn-up. This report gives a broad review on the composition of radionuclides in fuels (fission products, actinides) and structural materials for different burn-up data. (orig.) [de

  18. Implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-08-01

    The purpose of this Technical Committee Meeting was to explore the status of international activities related to the use of burnup credit for spent fuel applications. This was the second major meeting on the issues of burnup credit for spent fuel management systems held since the IAEA began to monitor the uses of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems in 1997. Burnup credit for wet and dry storage systems is needed in many Member States to allow for increased initial fuel enrichment, and to increase the storage capacity and thus to avoid the need for extensive modifications of the spent fuel management systems involved. This document contains 31 individual papers presented at the Meeting; each of the papers was indexed separately.

  19. Implementation of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems. Proceedings of a technical committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2001-08-01

    The purpose of this Technical Committee Meeting was to explore the status of international activities related to the use of burnup credit for spent fuel applications. This was the second major meeting on the issues of burnup credit for spent fuel management systems held since the IAEA began to monitor the uses of burnup credit in spent fuel management systems in 1997. Burnup credit for wet and dry storage systems is needed in many Member States to allow for increased initial fuel enrichment, and to increase the storage capacity and thus to avoid the need for extensive modifications of the spent fuel management systems involved. This document contains 31 individual papers presented at the Meeting; each of the papers was indexed separately

  20. Properties of the high burnup structure in nuclear light water reactor fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiss, Thierry; Rondinella, Vincenzo V.; Konings, Rudy J.M. [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Karlsruhe (Germany). Directorate Nuclear Safety and Security; and others

    2017-07-01

    The formation of the high burnup structure (HBS) is possibly the most significant example of the restructuring processes affecting commercial nuclear fuel in-pile. The HBS forms at the relatively cold outer rim of the fuel pellet, where the local burnup is 2-3 times higher than the average pellet burnup, under the combined effects of irradiation and thermo-mechanical conditions determined by the power regime and the fuel rod configuration. The main features of the transformation are the subdivision of the original fuel grains into new sub-micron grains, the relocation of the fission gas into newly formed intergranular pores, and the absence of large concentrations of extended defects in the fuel matrix inside the subdivided grains. The characterization of the newly formed structure and its impact on thermo-physical or mechanical properties is a key requirement to ensure that high burnup fuel operates within the safety margins. This paper presents a synthesis of the main findings from extensive studies performed at JRC-Karlsruhe during the last 25 years to determine properties and behaviour of the HBS. In particular, microstructural features, thermal transport, fission gas behaviour, and thermo-mechanical properties of the HBS will be discussed. The main conclusion of the experimental studies is that the HBS does not compromise the safety of nuclear fuel during normal operations.

  1. A simple gamma spectrometry method for evaluating the burnup of MTR-type HEU fuel elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makmal, T. [The Unit of Nuclear Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of The Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel); Nuclear Physics and Engineering Division, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne 81800 (Israel); Aviv, O. [Radiation Safety Division, Soreq Nuclear Research Center, Yavne 81800 (Israel); Gilad, E., E-mail: gilade@bgu.ac.il [The Unit of Nuclear Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of The Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105 (Israel)

    2016-10-21

    A simple method for the evaluation of the burnup of a materials testing reactor (MTR) fuel element by gamma spectrometry is presented. The method was applied to a highly enriched uranium MTR nuclear fuel element that was irradiated in a 5 MW pool-type research reactor for a total period of 34 years. The experimental approach is based on in-situ measurements of the MTR fuel element in the reactor pool by a portable high-purity germanium detector located in a gamma cell. To corroborate the method, analytical calculations (based on the irradiation history of the fuel element) and computer simulations using a dedicated fuel cycle burnup code ORIGEN2 were performed. The burnup of the MTR fuel element was found to be 52.4±8.8%, which is in good agreement with the analytical calculations and the computer simulations. The method presented here is suitable for research reactors with either a regular or an irregular irradiation regime and for reactors with limited infrastructure and/or resources. In addition, its simplicity and the enhanced safety it confers may render this method suitable for IAEA inspectors in fuel element burnup assessments during on-site inspections. - Highlights: • Simple, inexpensive, safe and flexible experimental setup that can be quickly deployed. • Experimental results are thoroughly corroborated against ORIGEN2 burnup code. • Experimental uncertainty of 9% and 5% deviation between measurements and simulations. • Very high burnup MTR fuel element is examined, with 60% depletion of {sup 235}U. • Impact of highly irregular irradiation regime on burnup evaluation is studied.

  2. Basic evaluation on nuclear characteristics of BWR high burnup MOX fuel and core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagano, M.; Sakurai, S.; Yamaguchi, H.

    1997-01-01

    MOX fuel will be used in existing commercial BWR cores as a part of reload fuels with equivalent operability, safety and economy to UO 2 fuel in Japan. The design concept should be compatible with UO 2 fuel design. High burnup UO 2 fuels are being developed and commercialized step by step. The MOX fuel planned to be introduced in around year 2000 will use the same hardware as UO 2 8 x 8 array fuel developed for a second step of UO 2 high burnup fuel. The target discharge exposure of this MOX fuel is about 33 GWd/t. And the loading fraction of MOX fuel is approximately one-third in an equilibrium core. On the other hand, it becomes necessary to minimize a number of MOX fuels and plants utilizing MOX fuel, mainly due to the fuel economy, handling cost and inspection cost in site. For the above reasons, it needed to developed a high burnup MOX fuel containing much Pu and a core with a large amount of MOX fuels. The purpose of this study is to evaluate basic nuclear fuel and core characteristics of BWR high burnup MOX fuel with batch average exposure of about 39.5 GWd/t using 9 x 9 array fuel. The loading fraction of MOX fuel in the core is within a range of about 50% to 100%. Also the influence of Pu isotopic composition fluctuations and Pu-241 decay upon nuclear characteristics are studied. (author). 3 refs, 5 figs, 3 tabs

  3. Comparison of measured and calculated burn-up of AVR-Fuel-Elements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagemann, R.

    1974-03-15

    Burn-up comparisons are made for small batches of three types of AVR fuel elements using a coupled EREBUS-MUPO neutronic analysis compared against test results from both nondestructive gamma-ray measurements of cesium-137 activity and destructive mass spectrometry measurements of the ratio of U-233 to U-235. The comparisons are relatively good for average burn-up and reasonably good for burn-up distributions.

  4. Fuel Modelling at Extended Burnup (Fumex-II). Report of a Coordinated Research Project 2002-2007

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-08-01

    to fuel licensing. This report describes the results of the coordinated research project on fuel modelling at extended burnup (FUMEX-II). This programme was initiated in 2000 and completed in 2006. It followed previous programmes on fuel modelling, D-COM which was conducted between 1982 and 1984, and the FUMEX programme which was conducted between 1993 and 1996. The participants used a mixture of data, derived from actual irradiation histories, in particular those with PIE measurements from high burnup commercial and experimental fuels, combined with idealized power histories intended to represent possible future extended dwell, commercial irradiations, to test code capabilities at high burnup. All participants have carried out calculations on the six priority cases selected from the 27 cases identified to them at the first research coordination meeting (RCM). At the second RCM, three further priority cases were identified and have been modelled. These priority cases have been chosen as the best available to help determine which of the many high burnup models used in the codes best reflect reality. The participants are using the remaining cases for verification and validation purposes as well as inter-code comparisons. The codes participating in the exercise have been developed for a wide variety of purposes, including predictions for fuel operation in PWR, BWR, WWER, the pressurized HWR type, CANDU and other reactor types. They are used as development tools as well as for routine licensing calculations, where code configuration is strictly controlled.

  5. 3-D full core calculations for the long-term behaviour of PWR's

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winter, H.J.; Koebke, K.; Wagner, M.R.

    1987-01-01

    Presently, the most realistic simulation of a PWR core is by means of three-dimensional (3-D) full core calculations. Only by such 3-D representations can the large scope of axial effects be treated in an accurate and direct way, without the need to perform various auxiliary calculations. Although the computationally efficient burnup-corrected nodal expansion method (NEM-BC) is used, the computing effort for 3-D reactor calculations becomes rather high, e.g. a storage of about 320000 words is required to describe a 1300 MWe PWR. NEM-BC was introduced (1979) into KWU's package of PWR design codes because of its high accuracy and the great reduction of computing time and storage requirements in comparison to other methods. The application of NEM-BC to 3-dimensional PWR design is strongly correlated with the progress achieved in the solution of the homogenization and dehomogenization problem. By means of suitable methods (equivalence theory) the transport-theoretical information of the pinwise power and burnup distribution for the heterogeneous fuel assemblies is transferred in a consistent manner to the full core reactor solution. The new methods and the corresponding code system are explained in some detail. (orig.)

  6. Chemical analytical considerations on the determination of burnup in irradiated nuclear fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cretella, R.F.; Servant, R.E.

    1989-01-01

    Burnup in an irradiated nuclear fuel may be defined as the energy produced per mass unit, from the time the fuel is introduced into the reactor and until a given moment. It is usually shown in megawatt/day or megawatt/hour generated per ton or kilo of fuel. It is also indicated as the number of fission produced per volume unit (cm 3 ) or per every 100 initial fissionable atoms. The yield of a power plant is directly related to the burnup of its fuel load and knowing the latter contributes to optimizing the economy in reactor operation and the related technologies. The development of nuclear fuels and the operation of reactors require doing with exact and accurate methods allowing to know the burnup. Errors in this measurement have an incidence upon the fuel design, the physical and nuclear calculations, the shielding requirements, the design of vehicles for the transportation of irradiated fuels, the engineering of processing plants, etc. All these factors, in turn, have an incidence upon the cost of nuclear power generation. (Author) [es

  7. Advanced PWR fuel design concepts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersor, C.K.; Harris, R.P.; Crump, M.W.; Fuhrman, N.

    1987-01-01

    For nearly 15 years, Combustion Engineering has provided pressurized water reactor fuel with the features most suppliers are now introducing in their advanced fuel designs. Zircaloy grids, removable upper end fittings, large fission gas plenum, high burnup, integral burnable poisons and sophisticated analytical methods are all features of C-E standard fuel which have been well proven by reactor performance. C-E's next generation fuel for pressurized water reactors features 24-month operating cycles, optimal lattice burnable poisons, increased resistance to common industry fuel rod failure mechanisms, and hardware and methodology for operating margin improvements. Application of these various improvements offer continued improvement in fuel cycle economics, plant operation and maintenance. (author)

  8. On site PWR fuel inspection measurements for operational and design verification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    The on-site inspection of irradiated Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) fuel and Non-Fuel Bearing Components (NFBC) is typically limited to visual inspections during refuelings using underwater TV cameras and is intended primarily to confirm whether the components will continue in operation. These inspections do not normally provide data for design verification nor information to benefit future fuel designs. Japanese PWR utilities and Nuclear Fuel Industries Ltd. designed, built, and performed demonstration tests of on-site inspection equipment that confirms operational readiness of PWR fuel and NFBC and also gathers data for design verification of these components. 4 figs, 3 tabs

  9. Fuel and fuel cycles with high burnup for WWER reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernushev, V.; Sokolov, F.

    2002-01-01

    The paper discusses the status and trends in development of nuclear fuel and fuel cycles for WWER reactors. Parameters and main stages of implementation of new fuel cycles will be presented. At present, these new fuel cycles are offered to NPPs. Development of new fuel and fuel cycles based on the following principles: profiling fuel enrichment in a cross section of fuel assemblies; increase of average fuel enrichment in fuel assemblies; use of refuelling schemes with lower neutron leakage ('in-in-out'); use of integrated fuel gadolinium-based burnable absorber (for a five-year fuel cycle); increase of fuel burnup in fuel assemblies; improving the neutron balance by using structural materials with low neutron absorption; use of zirconium alloy claddings which are highly resistant to irradiation and corrosion. The paper also presents the results of fuel operation. (author)

  10. Utilization of ''CONTACT'' experiments to improve the fission gas release knowledge in PWR fuel rods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charles, M; Abassin, J J; Bruet, M; Baron, D; Melin, P

    1983-03-01

    The CONTACT experiments, which were carried out by the French CEA, within the framework of a CEA-FRAMATOME collaboration agreement, bear on the behaviour of in-pile irradiated PWR fuel rods. We will focus here upon their results dealing with fission gas release. The experimental device is briefly described, then the following results are given: the kinetics of stable fission gas release for various linear ratings; the instantaneous fractional release rates of radioactive gases versus their decay constant in the range 1.5 10/sup -6/-3.6 10/sup -3/s/sup -1/, for various burnups, as also the influence of fuel temperature. Moreover, the influence of the nature and the pressure of the filling gas upon the release is presented for various linear ratings. The experimental results are discussed and analysed with the purpose to model various physical phenomena involved in the release (low-temperature mechanisms, diffusion).

  11. Utilization of ''CONTACT'' experiments to improve the fission gas release knowledge in PWR fuel rods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charles, M.; Abassin, J.J.; Bruet, M.

    1983-01-01

    The CONTACT experiments, which were carried out by the French CEA, within the framework of a CEA-FRAMATOME collaboration agreement, bear on the behaviour of in-pile irradiated PWR fuel rods. We will focus here upon their results dealing with fission gas release. The experimental device is briefly described, then the following results are given: the kinetics of stable fission gas release for various linear ratings; the instantaneous fractional release rates of radioactive gases versus their decay constant in the range 1.5 10 -6 -3.6 10 -3 s -1 , for various burnups, as also the influence of fuel temperature. Moreover, the influence of the nature and the pressure of the filling gas upon the release is presented for various linear ratings. The experimental results are discussed and analysed with the purpose to model various physical phenomena involved in the release (low-temperature mechanisms, diffusion)

  12. Irradiation performance of PFBR MOX fuel after 112 GWd/t burn-up

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkiteswaran, C.N., E-mail: cnv@igcar.gov.in; Jayaraj, V.V.; Ojha, B.K.; Anandaraj, V.; Padalakshmi, M.; Vinodkumar, S.; Karthik, V.; Vijaykumar, Ran; Vijayaraghavan, A.; Divakar, R.; Johny, T.; Joseph, Jojo; Thirunavakkarasu, S.; Saravanan, T.; Philip, John; Rao, B.P.C.; Kasiviswanathan, K.V.; Jayakumar, T.

    2014-06-01

    The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) which is in advanced stage of construction at Kalpakkam, India, will use mixed oxide (MOX) fuel with a target burnup of 100 GWd/t. The fuel pellet is of annular design to enable operation at a peak linear power of 450 W/cm with the requirement of minimum duration of pre-conditioning. The performance of the MOX fuel and the D9 clad and wrapper material was assessed through Post Irradiation Examinations (PIE) after test irradiation of 37 fuel pin subassembly in Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) to a burn-up of 112 GWd/t. Fission product distribution, swelling and fuel–clad gap evolution, central hole diameter variation, restructuring, fission gas release and clad wastage due to fuel–clad chemical interaction were evaluated through non-destructive and destructive examinations. The examinations have indicated that the MOX fuel can safely attain the desired target burn-up in PFBR.

  13. Corrosion studies with high burnup light water reactor fuel. Release of nuclides into simulated groundwater during accumulated contact time of up to two years

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zwicky, Hans-Urs (Zwicky Consulting GmbH, Remigen (Switzerland)); Low, Jeanett; Ekeroth, Ella (Studsvik Nuclear AB, Nykoeping (Sweden))

    2011-03-15

    pellet surface than the bulk of the pellet in leaching experiments. Thus, formation of oxidising species and radicals by radiolysis is expected to be disproportionately high as well. Therefore, when discussing high burnup fuel dissolution, the effect of the increased radiation field with burnup, as well as of the influence of the smaller grain size and increased porosity at the rim are mentioned as factors which contribute to increased dissolution rates. A third factor, increased fission product and actinide doping with burnup, has been discussed extensively in connection with increased resistance to air oxidation of the fuel. Samples from four different fuel rods, all operated in Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR), are used in the new series of corrosion experiments. They cover a burnup range from 58 to 75 MWd/kgU. The nuclide inventory of all four samples was determined by means of a combination of experimental nuclide analysis and sample specific modelling calculations. More than 40 different nuclides were analysed by isotope dilution analysis using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), as well as other ICP-MS and gamma spectrometric methods. The content of roughly all fission products and actinides was also calculated separately for each sample. The experiments are performed under oxidising conditions in synthetic groundwater at ambient temperature. In order to make results as comparable as possible to those of the Series 11 experiments, the same procedure and the same leachant is used. At least nine consecutive contact periods of one and three weeks and two, three, six and twelve months are planned. The present report covers the first five contact periods up to a cumulative contact time of one year for all four samples and in addition the sixth period up to a cumulative contact time of two years for two of the samples. The samples, kept in position by a platinum wire spiral, are exposed to synthetic groundwater in a Pyrex flask. After the contact

  14. Corrosion studies with high burnup light water reactor fuel. Release of nuclides into simulated groundwater during accumulated contact time of up to two years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwicky, Hans-Urs; Low, Jeanett; Ekeroth, Ella

    2011-03-01

    pellet surface than the bulk of the pellet in leaching experiments. Thus, formation of oxidising species and radicals by radiolysis is expected to be disproportionately high as well. Therefore, when discussing high burnup fuel dissolution, the effect of the increased radiation field with burnup, as well as of the influence of the smaller grain size and increased porosity at the rim are mentioned as factors which contribute to increased dissolution rates. A third factor, increased fission product and actinide doping with burnup, has been discussed extensively in connection with increased resistance to air oxidation of the fuel. Samples from four different fuel rods, all operated in Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR), are used in the new series of corrosion experiments. They cover a burnup range from 58 to 75 MWd/kgU. The nuclide inventory of all four samples was determined by means of a combination of experimental nuclide analysis and sample specific modelling calculations. More than 40 different nuclides were analysed by isotope dilution analysis using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), as well as other ICP-MS and gamma spectrometric methods. The content of roughly all fission products and actinides was also calculated separately for each sample. The experiments are performed under oxidising conditions in synthetic groundwater at ambient temperature. In order to make results as comparable as possible to those of the Series 11 experiments, the same procedure and the same leachant is used. At least nine consecutive contact periods of one and three weeks and two, three, six and twelve months are planned. The present report covers the first five contact periods up to a cumulative contact time of one year for all four samples and in addition the sixth period up to a cumulative contact time of two years for two of the samples. The samples, kept in position by a platinum wire spiral, are exposed to synthetic groundwater in a Pyrex flask. After the contact

  15. Overview of the burnup credit activities at OECD/NEA/NSC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady Raap, M.C.; Nomura, Y.; Sartori, E.

    2001-01-01

    This article summarizes activities of the OECD/NEA Burnup Credit Expert Panel, a subordinate group to the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS). The WPNCS of the OECD/NEA coordinates and carries out work in the domain of criticality safety at the international level. Particular attention is devoted to establishing sound databases required in this area and to addressing issues of high relevance such as burnup credit. The activities of the expert panel are aimed toward improving safety and identifying economic solutions to issues concerning the back-end of the fuel cycle. The main objective of the activities of the OECD/NEA Burnup Credit Expert Panel is to demonstrate that the available criticality safety calculational tools are appropriate for application to burned fuel systems and that a reasonable safety margin can be established. The method established by the expert panel for investigating the physics and predictability of burnup credit is based on the specification and comparison of calculational benchmark problems. A wide range of fuel types, including PWR, BWR, MOX, and VVER fuels, has been or are being addressed by the expert panel. The objective and status of each of these benchmark problems is reviewed in this article. It is important to note that the focus of the expert panel is the comparison of the results submitted by each participant to assess the capability of commonly used code systems, not to quantify the physical phenomena investigated in the comparisons or to make recommendations for licensing action. (author)

  16. Experimental programmes related to high burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasudeva Rao, P.R.; Vidhya, R.; Ananthasivan, K.; Srinivasan, T.G.; Nagarajan, K.

    2002-01-01

    The experimental programmes undertaken at IGCAR with regard to high burn-up fuels fall under the following categories: a) studies on fuel behaviour, b) development of extractants for aqueous reprocessing and c) development of non-aqueous reprocessing techniques. An experimental programme to measure the carbon potential in U/Pu-FP-C systems by methane-hydrogen gas equilibration technique has been initiated at IGCAR in order to understand the evolution of fuel and fission product phases in carbide fuel at high burn-up. The carbon potentials in U-Mo-C system have been measured by this technique. The free energies and enthalpies of formation of LaC 2 , NdC 2 and SmC 2 have been measured by measuring the vapor pressures of CO over the region Ln 2 O 3 -LnC 2 -C during the carbothermic reduction of Ln 2 O 3 by C. The decontamination from fission products achieved in fuel reprocessing depends strongly on the actinide loading of the extractant phase. Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP), presently used as the extractant, does not allow high loadings due to its propensity for third phase formation in the extraction of Pu(IV). A detailed study of the allowable Pu loadings in TBP and other extractants has been undertaken in IGCAR, the results of which are presented in this paper. The paper also describes the status of our programme to develop a non-aqueous route for the reprocessing of fast reactor fuels. (author)

  17. Benchmark calculation of SCALE-PC 4.3 CSAS6 module and burnup credit criticality analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Hee Sung; Ro, Seong Gy; Shin, Young Joon; Kim, Ik Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

    1998-12-01

    Calculation biases of SCALE-PC CSAS6 module for PWR spent fuel, metallized spent fuel and solution of nuclear materials have been determined on the basis of the benchmark to be 0.01100, 0.02650 and 0.00997, respectively. With the aid of the code system, nuclear criticality safety analysis for the spent fuel storage pool has been carried out to determine the minimum burnup of spent fuel required for safe storage. The criticality safety analysis is performed using three types of isotopic composition of spent fuel: ORIGEN2-calculated isotopic compositions; the conservative inventory obtained from the multiplication of ORIGEN2-calculated isotopic compositions by isotopic correction factors; the conservative inventory of only U, Pu and {sup 241}Am. The results show that the minimum burnup for three cases are 990,6190 and 7270 MWd/tU, respectively in the case of 5.0 wt% initial enriched spent fuel. (author). 74 refs., 68 figs., 35 tabs.

  18. Fission gas release from fuel at high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, R.O.; Beyer, C.E.; Voglewede, J.C.

    1978-03-01

    The release of fission gas from fuel pellets at high burnup is reviewed in the context of the safety analysis performed for reactor license applications. Licensing actions are described that were taken to correct deficient gas release models used in these safety analyses. A correction function, which was developed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff and its consultants, is presented. Related information, which includes some previously unpublished data, is also summarized. The report thus provides guidance for the analysis of high burnup gas release in licensing situations

  19. Burnup simulations of different fuel grades using the MCNPX Monte Carlo code

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asah-Opoku Fiifi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Global energy problems range from the increasing cost of fuel to the unequal distribution of energy resources and the potential climate change resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. A sustainable nuclear energy would augment the current world energy supply and serve as a reliable future energy source. This research focuses on Monte Carlo simulations of pressurized water reactor systems. Three different fuel grades - mixed oxide fuel (MOX, uranium oxide fuel (UOX, and commercially enriched uranium or uranium metal (CEU - are used in this simulation and their impact on the effective multiplication factor (Keff and, hence, criticality and total radioactivity of the reactor core after fuel burnup analyzed. The effect of different clad materials on Keff is also studied. Burnup calculation results indicate a buildup of plutonium isotopes in UOX and CEU, as opposed to a decline in plutonium radioisotopes for MOX fuel burnup time. For MOX fuel, a decrease of 31.9% of the fissile plutonium isotope is observed, while for UOX and CEU, fissile plutonium isotopes increased by 82.3% and 83.8%, respectively. Keff results show zircaloy as a much more effective clad material in comparison to zirconium and stainless steel.

  20. A study on the direct use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU -A study on the radioactive waste management for DUPIC fuel cycle-

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyun Soo; Jun, Kwan Sik; Nah, Jung Won; Park, Jang Jin; Kim, Jong Hoh; Cho, Yung Hyun; Baek, Seung Woo; Shin, Jin Myung; Yang, Seung Yung [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-07-01

    The immobilization materials for radioactive wastes resulting from the DUPIC fuel manufacturing process were selected and their characteristics were evaluated. To predict the trapping behavior of the Ruthenium, a semi-volatile nuclide, its volatility was measured and thermogravimetric analysis were performed with simulated fuel. New Ruthenium trapping material was developed which is deposited on ceramic honey-comb monolith of cordierite. The base glass was manufactured with fly ash added to the borosilicate glass. The composition of the scrap waste was calculated based on the PWR spent fuel which has initial {sup 235}U content of 3.5%, burnup of 35,000 MWD/MTU and cooling time of 10 years. Simulated waste glass was manufactured, and its chemical durability was evaluated by soxhlet leach test. Radioactivity of non-oxidized cladding material were measured. The preliminary design criteria were prepared for off-gas treatment system in IMEF. 31 figs, 42 tabs, 51 refs. (Author).

  1. Small PWR 'PFPWR50' using cermet fuel of Th-Pu particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirayama, Takashi; Shimazu, Yoichiro

    2009-01-01

    An innovative concept of PFPWR50 has been studied. The main feature of PFPWR50 has been to adopt TRISO coated fuel particles in a conventional PWR cladding. Coated fuel particle provides good confining ability of fission products. But it is pointed out that swelling of SiC layer at low temperature by irradiation has possibilities of degrading the integrity of coated fuel particle in the LWR environment. Thus, we examined the use of Cermet fuel replacing SiC layer to Zr metal or Zr compound. And the nuclear fuel has been used as fuel compact, which is configured to fix coated fuel particles in the matrix material to the shape of fuel pellet. In the previous study, graphite matrix is adopted as the matrix material. According to the burnup calculations of the several fuel concepts with those covering layers, we decide to use Zr layer embedded in Zr metal base or ZrC layer with graphite matrix. But carbon has the problem at low temperature by irradiation as well as SiC. Therefore, Zr covering layer and Zr metal base are finally selected. The other feature of PFPWR50 concept has been that the excess reactivity is suppressed during a cycle by initially loading burnable poison (gadolinia) in the fuels. In this study, a new loading pattern is determined by combining 7 types of assemblies in which the gadolinia concentration and the number of the fuel rods with gadolinia are different. This new core gives 6.7 equivalent full power years (EFPY) as the core life of a cycle. And the excess reactivity is suppressed to less than 2.0%Δk/k during the cycle. (author)

  2. A study on the direct use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU reactors -Fuel management and safety analysis-

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyun Soo; Lee, Boh Wook; Choi, Hang Bok; Lee, Yung Wook; Cho, Jae Sun; Huh, Chang Wook [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

    1995-07-01

    The reference DUPIC fuel composition was determined based on the reactor safety, thermal-hydraulics, economics, and refabrication aspects. The center pin of the reference DUPIC fuel bundle is poisoned with natural dysprosium. The worst LOCA analysis has shown that the transient power and heat deposition of the reference DUPIC core are the same as those of natural uranium CANDU core. The intra-code comparison has shown that the accuracy of DUPIC physics code system is comparable to the current CANDU core design code system. The sensitivity studies were performed for the refuelling schemes of DUPIC core and the 2-bundle shift refuelling scheme was selected as the standard refuelling scheme of the DUPIC core. The application of 4-bundle shift refuelling scheme will be studied in parallel as the auto-refuelling method is improved and the reference core parameters of the heterogeneous DUPIC core are defined. The heterogeneity effect was analyzed in a preliminary fashion using 33 fuel types and the random loading strategy. The refuelling simulation has shown that the DUPIC core satisfies the current CANDU 6 operating limits of channel and bundle power regardless of the fuel composition heterogeneity. The 33 fuel types used in the heterogeneity analysis was determined based on the initial enrichment and discharge burnup of the PWR fuel. 90 figs, 62 tabs, 63 refs. (Author).

  3. Evaluation of burnup credit for fuel storage analysis -- Experience in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Conde, J.M.; Recio, M.

    1995-01-01

    Several Spanish light water reactor commercial nuclear power plants are close to maximum spent-fuel pool storage capacity. The utilities are working on the implementation of state-of-the-art methods to increase the storage capacity, including both changes in the pool design (recracking) and the implementation of new analysis approaches with reduced conservation (burnup credit). Burnup credit criticality safety analyses have been approved for two pressurized water reactor plants (four units) and one boiling water reactor (BWR); an other BWR storage analysis is being developed at this moment. The elimination of the ''fresh fuel assumption'' increases the complexity of the criticality analysis to be performed, sometimes putting into question the capability of the analytic tools to properly describe this new situation and increasing the scope of the scenarios to be analyzed. From a regulatory perspective, the reactivity reduction associated with burnup of the fuel can be given credit only if the exposure of each fuel bundle can be known with enough accuracy. Subcriticality of spent-fuel storage depends mainly on the initial fuel enrichment, storage geometry, fuel exposure history, and cooling time. The last two aspects introduced new uncertainties in the criticality analysis that should be quantified in an adequate way. In addition, each and every fuel bundle has its own specific exposure history, so that strong assumptions and simplified calculational schemes have to be developed to undertake the analysis. The Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), Spanish regulatory authority on the matter of nuclear safety and radiation protection, plays an active role in the development of analysis methods to support burnup credit, making proposals that may be beneficial in terms of risk and cost while keeping the widest safety margins possible

  4. Effect of fuel burnup on the mechanical safety coefficients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plyashkevich, V.Ju.; Sidorenko, V.D.; Shishkov, L.K.

    2001-01-01

    )In the paper the results of studies of changes in the process of campaign 'disturbances' of local heat flux and local fuel burnup, resulting from the 'mechanical' deviations in the composition and geometrical characteristics of fuel rods from the nominal are given. As example, the WWER-440 fuel assembly with burnable poisons used in the five-year fuel cycle is considered. The effect of deviations in fuel enrichment, fuel content, gadolinium content and geometrical size was studied (Authors)

  5. IFPE/TRIBULATION R1, Fuel Rod Behaviour at High Burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turnbull, J.A.

    2002-01-01

    Description: The TRIBULATION (Tests Relative to High Burnup Limitations Arising Normally in LWRs) International Programme started in July 1980 and was organized jointly by BelgoNucleaire and the Nuclear Energy Centre at Mol (CEN/SCK) with the co-sponsorship of 14 participating organizations. The objectives of the programme were twofold. It was primarily a demonstration programme aimed at assessing the fuel rod behaviour at high burn-up, when an earlier transient had occurred in the power plant. The second objective was to investigate the behaviour of different fuel rod designs and manufacturers when subjected to a steady state irradiation history to high burn-up. The first objective was met by irradiating fuel rods under steady state conditions in the BR3 reactor and under transient conditions in BR2. The effect of the transient was determined by comparing data from 4 identical rods tested as follows: i) BR3 irradiation followed by PIE; ii) BR3 irradiation followed by BR2 transient then PIE; iii) BR3 irradiation followed by BR2 transient and re-irradiated in BR3 before PIE; iv) BR3 irradiation and continued BR3 irradiation to maximum burn-up before PIE. The Database contains data from 19 cases using rods fabricated by BelgoNucleaire (BN) (11) and Brown Boveri Reactor GmbH (BBR) (8)

  6. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Activity on Technical Influence of High Burnup UOX and MOX Water Reactor Fuel on Spent Fuel Management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lovasic, Z.; Einziger, R.

    2009-01-01

    This paper briefly reviews the results of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project investigating the influence of high burnup and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels, from water power reactors, on spent fuel management. These data will provide information on the impacts, regarding spent fuel management, for those countries operating light-water reactors (LWR)s and heavy-water reactors (HWR)s with zirconium alloy-clad uranium dioxide (UOX) fuels, that are considering the use of higher burnup UOX or the introduction of reprocessing and MOX fuels. The mechanical designs of lower burnup UOX and higher burnup UOX or MOX fuel are very similar, but some of the properties (e.g., higher fuel rod internal pressures; higher decay heat; higher specific activity; and degraded cladding mechanical properties of higher burnup UOX and MOX spent fuels) may potentially significantly affect the behavior of the fuel after irradiation. These properties are reviewed. The effects of these property changes on wet and dry storage, transportation, reprocessing, re-fabrication of fuel, and final disposal were evaluated, based on regulatory, safety, and operational considerations. Political and strategic considerations were not taken into account since relative importance of technical, economic and strategic considerations vary from country to country. There will also be an impact of these fuels on issues like non-proliferation, safeguards, and sustainability, but because of the complexity of factors affecting those issues, they are only briefly discussed. Data gaps were also identified during this investigation. The pros and cons of using high burnup UOX or MOX, for each applicable issue in each stage of the back end of the fuel cycle, were evaluated and are discussed.. Although, in theory, higher burnup fuel and MOX fuels mean a smaller quantity of spent fuel, the potential need for some changes in design of spent fuel storage, transportation, handling, reprocessing, re-fabrication, and

  7. High-burnup/low-cooling-time fuel carrying capacity of the GA-4 and GA-9 spent fuel shipping casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boshoven, J.K.; Hopf, J.E.

    1994-01-01

    In response to utilities' projected needs to ship higher burnup spent fuel, General Atomics (GA) has performed shielding and thermal analysis for the GA-4 and GA-9 legal weight shipping casks to determine the minimum cooling times for various burnup levels for fully loaded GA-4 and GA-9 casks and reduced payloads for the casks. Tables are provided in the paper which show the minimum cooling time for a given burnup and payload for each of the casks. The analyses show that the GA-4 and GA-9 casks can carry at least as many high-burnup and/or short-cooling-time spent fuel assemblies as present day shipping casks. In addition, the GA casks are able to carry at least twice as many assemblies as the present day shipping casks if the spent fuel burnup levels and/or cooling times are open-quotes coolerclose quotes or open-quotes as coolclose quotes as their design basis fuels. The increased shipping capacity for these more common open-quotes coolerclose quotes assemblies allows fewer shipments and therefore increases the efficiency and lowers predicted risks of the transport system

  8. Numerical Tests for the Problem of U-Pu Fuel Burnup in Fuel Rod and Polycell Models Using the MCNP Code

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muratov, V. G.; Lopatkin, A. V.

    An important aspect in the verification of the engineering techniques used in the safety analysis of MOX-fuelled reactors, is the preparation of test calculations to determine nuclide composition variations under irradiation and analysis of burnup problem errors resulting from various factors, such as, for instance, the effect of nuclear data uncertainties on nuclide concentration calculations. So far, no universally recognized tests have been devised. A calculation technique has been developed for solving the problem using the up-to-date calculation tools and the latest versions of nuclear libraries. Initially, in 1997, a code was drawn up in an effort under ISTC Project No. 116 to calculate the burnup in one VVER-1000 fuel rod, using the MCNP Code. Later on, the authors developed a computation technique which allows calculating fuel burnup in models of a fuel rod, or a fuel assembly, or the whole reactor. It became possible to apply it to fuel burnup in all types of nuclear reactors and subcritical blankets.

  9. The effect of fuel micro-structure and burn-up on FGR and PCMI studied in IFA-534.13

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsson, I.; Teshima, H.

    1998-02-01

    Fission gas pressure (FGR) and cladding elongation (PCMI) data of four high burnup PWR fuel rods with different grain size (8.5 and 22.1 μm) have been analysed and compared in the IFA-534.13 experiment. The fission gas release is low for both fuel types. During the first part of the irradiation there is no significant difference between the normal grain size fuel and the large grain size fuel. During the second part of the experiment , the FGR appears to be higher in the large grain size fuel. However, this result should be taken with some reservation since the bellows pressure transducer showed signs of irregular behaviour during this period. The FGR at end-of-life in the large grain size fuel is #approx=#2.1 %. The FGR at end-of-life in the normal grain size fuel is #approx=#1.5 %. The degree of PCMI is higher in the large grain size fuel during the first part of the irradiation. During the second period the difference is very small. The point of interaction for PCMI during power ramps has shifted to lower power between beginning and end of irradiation. The two fuel types exhibit very similar behaviour during power ramps. There is no clear indication of relaxation during the irradiation. (author)

  10. Determination of fissile fraction in MOX (mixed U + Pu oxides) fuels for different burnup values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ozdemir, Levent; Acar, Banu Bulut; Zabunoglu, Okan H.

    2011-01-01

    When spent Light Water Reactor fuels are processed by the standard Purex method of reprocessing, plutonium (Pu) and uranium (U) in spent fuel are obtained as pure and separate streams. The recovered Pu has a fissile content (consisting of 239 Pu and 241 Pu) greater than 60% typically (although it mainly depends on discharge burnup of spent fuel). The recovered Pu can be recycled as mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel after being blended with a fertile U makeup in a MOX fabrication plant. The burnup that can be obtained from MOX fuel depends on: (1) isotopic composition of Pu, which is closely related to the discharge burnup of spent fuel from which Pu is recovered; (2) the type of fertile U makeup material used (depleted U, natural U, or recovered U); and (3) fraction of makeup material in the mix (blending ratio), which in turn determines the total fissile fraction of MOX. Using the Non-linear Reactivity Model and the code MONTEBURNS, a step-by-step procedure for computing the total fissile content of MOX is introduced. As was intended, the resulting expression is simple enough for quick/hand calculations of total fissile content of MOX required to reach a desired burnup for a given discharge burnup of spent fuel and for a specified fertile U makeup. In any case, due to non-fissile (parasitic) content of recovered Pu, a greater fissile fraction in MOX than that in fresh U is required to obtain the same burnup as can be obtained by the fresh U fuel.

  11. Status and future perspectives of PWR and comparing views on WWER fuel technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weidinger, H.

    2003-01-01

    The main purpose of this paper is to give an overview on status and future perspectives of the Western PWR fuel technology. For easer understanding and correlating, some comparing views to the WWER fuel technology are provided. This overview of the PWR fuel technology of course can not go into the details of the today used designs of fuel, fuel rods and fuel assemblies. However, it tries to describe the today achieved capability of PWR fuel technology with regard to reliability, efficiency and safety

  12. Study on advanced nuclear fuel cycle of PWR/CANDU synergism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie Zhongsheng; Huo Xiaodong

    2002-01-01

    According to the concrete condition that China has both PWR and CANDU reactors, one of the advanced nuclear fuel cycle strategy of PWR/CANDU synergism ws proposed, i.e. the reprocessed uranium of spent PWR fuel was used in CANDU reactor, which will save the uranium resource, increase the energy output, decrease the quantity of spent fuels to be disposed and lower the cost of nuclear power. Because of the inherent flexibility of nuclear fuel cycle in CANDU reactor, the transition from the natural uranium to the recycled uranium (RU) can be completed without any changes of the structure of reactor core and operation mode. Furthermore, because of the low radiation level of RU, which is acceptable for CANDU reactor fuel fabrication, the present product line of fuel elements of CANDU reactor only need to be shielded slightly, also the conditions of transportation, operation and fuel management need not to be changed. Thus this strategy has significant practical and economical benefit

  13. Reprocessed and combined thorium fuel cycles in a PER system with a micro heterogeneous approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monteiro, Fabiana B.A.; Castro, Victor F.; Faria, Rochkhudson B. de; Pereira, Claubia; Fortini, Angela

    2015-01-01

    A micro heterogeneous approaches were used to study the behavior of reprocessed fuel spiked with thorium in a PWR fuel element considering (TRU-Th) cycle. The goal is to achieve a higher burnup using three different configurations to model the fuel element using SCALE 6.0. The reprocessed fuels were obtained using the ORIGEN 2.1 code from a spent PWR standard fuel (33,000 MWd/tHM burned), with 3.1% of initial enrichment. The spent fuel remained in the cooling pool for five years and then reprocessed using the UREX+ technique. Three configurations of micro heterogeneous approaches were analyzed, and the k inf and plutonium evolution during the burnup were evaluated. The preliminary results show that the behavior of advanced fuel based on transuranic elements spiked with thorium, and micro heterogeneous approach are satisfactory in PWRs, and the configuration that use a combination of Th and TRU (configuration 1) seems to be the most promising once has higher values for k inf during the burnup, compared with other configurations. (author)

  14. Numerical solution of stiff burnup equation with short half lived nuclides by the Krylov subspace method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, Akio; Tatsumi, Masahiro; Sugimura, Naoki

    2007-01-01

    The Krylov subspace method is applied to solve nuclide burnup equations used for lattice physics calculations. The Krylov method is an efficient approach for solving ordinary differential equations with stiff nature such as the nuclide burnup with short lived nuclides. Some mathematical fundamentals of the Krylov subspace method and its application to burnup equations are discussed. Verification calculations are carried out in a PWR pin-cell geometry with UO 2 fuel. A detailed burnup chain that includes 193 fission products and 28 heavy nuclides is used in the verification calculations. Shortest half life found in the present burnup chain is approximately 30 s ( 106 Rh). Therefore, conventional methods (e.g., the Taylor series expansion with scaling and squaring) tend to require longer computation time due to numerical stiffness. Comparison with other numerical methods (e.g., the 4-th order Runge-Kutta-Gill) reveals that the Krylov subspace method can provide accurate solution for a detailed burnup chain used in the present study with short computation time. (author)

  15. Detailed description and user`s manual of high burnup fuel analysis code EXBURN-I

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Motoe [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment; Saitou, Hiroaki

    1997-11-01

    EXBURN-I has been developed for the analysis of LWR high burnup fuel behavior in normal operation and power transient conditions. In the high burnup region, phenomena occur which are different in quality from those expected for the extension of behaviors in the mid-burnup region. To analyze these phenomena, EXBURN-I has been formed by the incorporation of such new models as pellet thermal conductivity change, burnup-dependent FP gas release rate, and cladding oxide layer growth to the basic structure of low- and mid-burnup fuel analysis code FEMAXI-IV. The present report describes in detail the whole structure of the code, models, and materials properties. Also, it includes a detailed input manual and sample output, etc. (author). 55 refs.

  16. Investigation on spent fuel characteristics of reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukaya, Y.; Okubo, T.; Uchikawa, S.

    2008-01-01

    The spent fuel characteristics of the reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) have been investigated using the SWAT and ORIGEN codes. RMWR is an advanced LWR concept for plutonium recycling by using the MOX fuel. In the code calculation, the ORIGEN libraries such as one-group cross-section data prepared for RMWR were necessary. Since there were no open libraries for RMWR, they were produced in this study by using the SWAT code. New libraries based on the heterogeneous core modeling in the axial direction and with the variable actinide cross-section (VXSEC) option were produced and selected as the representative ORIGEN libraries for RMWR. In order to investigate the characteristics of the RMWR spent fuel, the decay heat, the radioactivity and the content of each nuclide were evaluated with ORIGEN using these libraries. In this study, the spent fuel characteristics of other types of reactors, such as PWR, BWR, high burn-up PWR, full-MOX-PWR, full-MOX-BWR and FBR, were also evaluated with ORIGEN. It has been found that about a half of the decay heat of the RMWR spent fuel comes from the actinides nuclides. It is the same with the radioactivity. The decay heat and the radioactivity of the RMWR spent fuel are lower than those of full-MOX-LWRs and FBR, and are the same level as those of the high burn-up PWR. The decay heat and the radioactivity from the fission products (FPs) in the spent fuel mainly depend on the burn-up and the burn-up time rather than the reactor type. Therefore, the decay heat and the radioactivity from FPs in the RMWR spent fuel are smaller, reflecting its relatively long burn-up time resulted from its core characteristics with the high conversion ratio. The radioactivity from the actinides in the spent fuel mainly depends on the 241 Pu content in the initial fuel, and the decay heat mainly depends on 238 Pu and 244 Cm. The contribution of 244 Cm is much smaller in RMWR than in MOX-LWRs because of the difference in the spectrum. In addition, from

  17. Investigation on spent fuel characteristics of reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fukaya, Y. [Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Oarai-machi, Ibaraki-ken 311-1393 (Japan)], E-mail: fukaya.yuji@jaea.go.jp; Okubo, T.; Uchikawa, S. [Advanced Nuclear System Research and Development Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Oarai-machi, Ibaraki-ken 311-1393 (Japan)

    2008-07-15

    The spent fuel characteristics of the reduced-moderation water reactor (RMWR) have been investigated using the SWAT and ORIGEN codes. RMWR is an advanced LWR concept for plutonium recycling by using the MOX fuel. In the code calculation, the ORIGEN libraries such as one-group cross-section data prepared for RMWR were necessary. Since there were no open libraries for RMWR, they were produced in this study by using the SWAT code. New libraries based on the heterogeneous core modeling in the axial direction and with the variable actinide cross-section (VXSEC) option were produced and selected as the representative ORIGEN libraries for RMWR. In order to investigate the characteristics of the RMWR spent fuel, the decay heat, the radioactivity and the content of each nuclide were evaluated with ORIGEN using these libraries. In this study, the spent fuel characteristics of other types of reactors, such as PWR, BWR, high burn-up PWR, full-MOX-PWR, full-MOX-BWR and FBR, were also evaluated with ORIGEN. It has been found that about a half of the decay heat of the RMWR spent fuel comes from the actinides nuclides. It is the same with the radioactivity. The decay heat and the radioactivity of the RMWR spent fuel are lower than those of full-MOX-LWRs and FBR, and are the same level as those of the high burn-up PWR. The decay heat and the radioactivity from the fission products (FPs) in the spent fuel mainly depend on the burn-up and the burn-up time rather than the reactor type. Therefore, the decay heat and the radioactivity from FPs in the RMWR spent fuel are smaller, reflecting its relatively long burn-up time resulted from its core characteristics with the high conversion ratio. The radioactivity from the actinides in the spent fuel mainly depends on the {sup 241}Pu content in the initial fuel, and the decay heat mainly depends on {sup 238}Pu and {sup 244}Cm. The contribution of {sup 244}Cm is much smaller in RMWR than in MOX-LWRs because of the difference in the spectrum

  18. Program of monitoring PWR fuel in Spain; Programa de Vigilancia de Combustible pwr en Espana

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez Murillo, J. C.; Quecedo, M.; Munoz-Roja, C.

    2015-07-01

    In the year 2000 the PWR utilities: Centrales Nucleares Almaraz-Trillo (CNAT) and Asociacion Nuclear Asco-Vandellos (ANAV), and ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas developed and executed a coordinated strategy named PIC (standing for Coordinated Research Program), for achieving the highest level of fuel reliability. The paper will present the scope and results of this program along the years and will summarize the way the changes are managed to ensure fuel integrity. The excellent performance of the ENUSA manufactured fuel in the PWR Spanish NPPs is the best indicator that the expectations on this program are being met. (Author)

  19. Databook of the isotopic composition of spent fuel in light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naito, Yoshitaka; Kurosawa, Masayoshi; Kaneko, Toshiyuki.

    1993-03-01

    In the framework of the activity of the nuclide production evaluation WG in the sigma committee, we summarized the measurement data of the isotopic composition of LWR spent fuels necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the burnup calculation codes. The collected data were arranged to be classified into the irradiation history of the fuel samples, the composition of the fuel assemblies, the sampling position and the isotopic composition of the fuel samples, in order to supply the information necessary to the benchmark calculation. This report describes the data collected from the 13 LWRs including the 9 LWRs (5 PWR and 4 BWR) in Europe and the USA, the 4 LWRs (2 PWR and 2 BWR) in Japan. Finally, the study on the burnup characteristics of the U, Pu isotopes is described. (author)

  20. Scope and procedures of fuel management for PWR nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Zenghua

    1997-01-01

    The fuel management scope of PWR nuclear power plant includes nuclear fuel purchase and spent fuel disposal, ex-core fuel management, in-core fuel management, core management and fuel assembly behavior follow up. A suit of complete and efficient fuel management procedures have to be created to ensure the quality and efficiency of fuel management work. The hierarchy of fuel management procedure is divided into four levels: main procedure, administration procedure, implement procedure and technic procedure. A brief introduction to the fuel management scope and procedures of PWR nuclear power plant are given

  1. Monte Carlo simulation of the electron and X-ray depth distribution for quantitative electron probe microanalysis of PWR spent fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Hyoung Mun; Lee, Hyung Kwon; Son, Young Zoon; Chun, Yong Bum [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-10-15

    Electron probe microanalysis requires several corrections to quantify an element of a specimen. The X-rays produced by the primary beam are created at some depth in the specimen. This distribution is usually represented as the function {Phi}(pz), and it is possible to calculate the correction factors for atomic number and absorption effects. The electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program to quantify some elements of the PWR spent fuel with 50 GWd/tU of burnup and 2 years of cooling time

  2. Monte Carlo simulation of the electron and X-ray depth distribution for quantitative electron probe microanalysis of PWR spent fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, Hyoung Mun; Lee, Hyung Kwon; Son, Young Zoon; Chun, Yong Bum

    2011-01-01

    Electron probe microanalysis requires several corrections to quantify an element of a specimen. The X-rays produced by the primary beam are created at some depth in the specimen. This distribution is usually represented as the function Φ(pz), and it is possible to calculate the correction factors for atomic number and absorption effects. The electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program to quantify some elements of the PWR spent fuel with 50 GWd/tU of burnup and 2 years of cooling time

  3. Analysis on burnup step effect for evaluating reactor criticality and fuel breeding ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saputra, Geby; Purnama, Aditya Rizki; Permana, Sidik; Suzuki, Mitsutoshi

    2014-01-01

    Criticality condition of the reactors is one of the important factors for evaluating reactor operation and nuclear fuel breeding ratio is another factor to show nuclear fuel sustainability. This study analyzes the effect of burnup steps and cycle operation step for evaluating the criticality condition of the reactor as well as the performance of nuclear fuel breeding or breeding ratio (BR). Burnup step is performed based on a day step analysis which is varied from 10 days up to 800 days and for cycle operation from 1 cycle up to 8 cycles reactor operations. In addition, calculation efficiency based on the variation of computer processors to run the analysis in term of time (time efficiency in the calculation) have been also investigated. Optimization method for reactor design analysis which is used a large fast breeder reactor type as a reference case was performed by adopting an established reactor design code of JOINT-FR. The results show a criticality condition becomes higher for smaller burnup step (day) and for breeding ratio becomes less for smaller burnup step (day). Some nuclides contribute to make better criticality when smaller burnup step due to individul nuclide half-live. Calculation time for different burnup step shows a correlation with the time consuming requirement for more details step calculation, although the consuming time is not directly equivalent with the how many time the burnup time step is divided

  4. Reactor-specific spent fuel discharge projections, 1987-2020

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walling, R.C.; Heeb, C.M.; Purcell, W.L.

    1988-03-01

    The creation of five reactor-specific spent fuel data bases that contain information on the projected amounts of spent fuel to be discharged from U.S. commercial nuclear reactors through the year 2020 is described. The data bases contain detailed spent fuel information from existing, planned, and projected pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water eactors (BWR), and one existing high temperature gas reactor (HTGR). The projections are based on individual reactor information supplied by the U.S. reactor owners. The basic information is adjusted to conform to Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts for nuclear installed capacity, generation, and spent fuel discharged. The EIA cases considered are: No New Orders (assumes increasing burnup), No New Orders with No Increased Burnup, Upper Reference (assumes increasing burnup), Upper Reference with No Increased Burnup, and Lower Reference (assumes increasing burnup). Detailed, by-reactor tables are provided for annual discharged amounts of spent fuel, for storage requirements assuming maximum at-reactor storage, and for storage requirements assuming maximum at-reactor storage plus intra-utility transshipment of spent fuel. 8 refs., 8 figs., 10 tabs

  5. Calculation of effect of burnup history on spent fuel reactivity based on CASMO5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xiaobo; Xia Zhaodong; Zhu Qingfu

    2015-01-01

    Based on the burnup credit of actinides + fission products (APU-2) which are usually considered in spent fuel package, the effect of power density and operating history on k_∞ was studied. All the burnup calculations are based on the two-dimensional fuel assembly burnup program CASMO5. The results show that taking the core average power density of specified power plus a bounding margin of 0.0023 to k_∞, and taking the operating history of specified power without shutdown during cycle and between cycles plus a bounding margin of 0.0045 to k_∞ can meet the bounding principle of burnup credit. (authors)

  6. Calculational prediction of fuel burn-up for the Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Phuoc Lan; Do Quang Binh

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, the method of expanding operators and functions in the neutron diffusion equations as chains of time variable is used for calculation of fuel burn-up of the Dalat nuclear reactors. A computer code, named BURREF, programmed in language Fortran-77 running on IBM PC-AT, has been developed based on this method to predict the fuel burn-up of the Dalat reactor. Some results will be presented here. (author)

  7. Burnup simulations of an inert matrix fuel using a two region, multigroup reactor physics model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider, E. [Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Univ. of Texas at Austin, 1 Univ. Place C2200, Austin, TX 78712 (United States); Deinert, M.; Bingham Cady, K. [Dept. of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

    2006-07-01

    Determining the time dependent concentration of isotopes in a nuclear reactor core is of fundamental importance to analysis of nuclear fuel cycles and the impact of spent fuels on long term storage facilities. We present a fast, conceptually simple tool for performing burnup calculations applicable to obtaining isotopic balances as a function of fuel burnup. The code (VBUDS: visualization, burnup, depletion and spectra) uses a two region, multigroup collision probability model to determine the energy dependent neutron flux and tracks the buildup and burnout of 24 actinides, as well as fission products. The model has been tested against benchmarked results for LWRs burning UOX and MOX, as well as MONTEBURNS simulations of zirconium oxide based IMF, all with strong fidelity. As an illustrative example, VBUDS burnup calculation results for an IMF fuel are presented in this paper. (authors)

  8. Simulation of the behaviour of nuclear fuel under high burnup conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soba, Alejandro; Lemes, Martin; González, Martin Emilio; Denis, Alicia; Romero, Luis

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Increasing the time of nuclear fuel into reactor generates high burnup structure. • We analyze model to simulate high burnup scenarios for UO 2 nuclear fuel. • We include these models in the DIONISIO 2.0 code. • Tests of our models are in very good agreement with experimental data. • We extend the range of predictability of our code up to 60 MWd/KgU average. - Abstract: In this paper we summarize all the models included in the latest version of the DIONISIO code related to the high burnup scenario. Due to the extension of nuclear fuels permanence under irradiation, physical and chemical modifications are developed in the fuel material, especially in the external corona of the pellet. The codes devoted to simulation of the rod behaviour under irradiation need to introduce modifications and new models in order to describe those phenomena and be capable to predict the behaviour in all the range of a general pressurized water reactor. A complex group of subroutines has been included in the code in order to predict the radial distribution of power density, burnup, concentration of diverse nuclides and porosity within the pellet. The behaviour of gadolinium as burnable poison also is modelled into the code. The results of some of the simulations performed with DIONISIO are presented to show the good agreement with the data selected for the FUMEX I/II/III exercises, compiled in the NEA data bank

  9. Status of burnup credit for transport of SNF in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parks, C.V.; Wagner, J.C.

    2004-01-01

    Allowing credit for the reduction in reactivity associated with fuel depletion can enable more cost-effective, higher-density storage, transportation, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) while maintaining a subcritical margin sufficient to establish an adequate safety basis. This paper reviews the current status of burnup credit applied to the design and transport of SNF casks in the United States. The existing U.S. regulatory guidance on burnup credit is limited to pressurized-water-reactor (PWR) fuel and to allowing credit only for actinides in the SNF. By comparing loading curves against actual SNF discharge data for U.S. reactors, the potential benefits that can be realized using the current regulatory guidance with actinide-only burnup credit are illustrated in terms of the inventory allowed in high-capacity casks and the concurrent reduction in SNF shipments. The additional benefits that might be realized by extending burnup credit to credit for select fission products are also illustrated. The curves show that, although fission products in SNF provide a small decrease in reactivity compared with actinides, the additional negative reactivity causes the SNF inventory acceptable for transportation to increase from roughly 30% to approximately 90% when fission products are considered. A savings of approximately $150M in transport costs can potentially be realized for the planned inventory of the repository. Given appropriate experimental data to support code validation, a realistic best-estimate analysis of burnup credit that includes validated credit for fission products is the enhancement that will yield the most significant impact on future transportation plans

  10. Benefits of the delta K of depletion benchmarks for burnup credit validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lancaster, D.; Machiels, A.

    2012-01-01

    Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) burnup credit validation is demonstrated using the benchmarks for quantifying fuel reactivity decrements, published as 'Benchmarks for Quantifying Fuel Reactivity Depletion Uncertainty,' EPRI Report 1022909 (August 2011). This demonstration uses the depletion module TRITON available in the SCALE 6.1 code system followed by criticality calculations using KENO-Va. The difference between the predicted depletion reactivity and the benchmark's depletion reactivity is a bias for the criticality calculations. The uncertainty in the benchmarks is the depletion reactivity uncertainty. This depletion bias and uncertainty is used with the bias and uncertainty from fresh UO 2 critical experiments to determine the criticality safety limits on the neutron multiplication factor, k eff . The analysis shows that SCALE 6.1 with the ENDF/B-VII 238-group cross section library supports the use of a depletion bias of only 0.0015 in delta k if cooling is ignored and 0.0025 if cooling is credited. The uncertainty in the depletion bias is 0.0064. Reliance on the ENDF/B V cross section library produces much larger disagreement with the benchmarks. The analysis covers numerous combinations of depletion and criticality options. In all cases, the historical uncertainty of 5% of the delta k of depletion ('Kopp memo') was shown to be conservative for fuel with more than 30 GWD/MTU burnup. Since this historically assumed burnup uncertainty is not a function of burnup, the Kopp memo's recommended bias and uncertainty may be exceeded at low burnups, but its absolute magnitude is small. (authors)

  11. High burnup issues and modelling strategies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutta, B.K.

    2005-01-01

    The performance of high burnup fuel is affected by a number of phenomena, such as, conductivity degradation, modified radial flux profile, fission gas release from high burnup structures, PCMI, burnup dependent thermo-mechanical properties, etc. The modelling strategies of some of these phenomena are available in literature. These can be readily incorporated in a fuel modelling performance code. The computer code FAIR has been developed in BARC over the years to evaluate the fuel performance at extended burnup and modelling of the fuel rods for advanced fuel cycles. The present paper deals with the high burnup issues in the fuel pins, their modelling strategies and results of the case studies specifically involving high burnup fuel. (author)

  12. Dissolution process for advanced-PWR-type fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Black, D.E.; Decker, L.A.; Pearson, L.G.

    1979-01-01

    The new Fluorinel Dissolution Process and Fuel Storage (FAST) Facility at ICPP will provide underwater storage of spent PWR fuel and a new head-end process for fuel dissolution. The dissolution will be two-stage, using HF and HNO 3 , with an intermittent H 2 SO 4 dissolution for removing stainless steel components. Equipment operation is described

  13. SRAC-95, Cell Calculation with Burnup, Fuel Management for Thermal Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsuchihashi, K.; Ishiguro, Y.; Kaneko, K.; Ido, M.

    2004-01-01

    1 - Description of program or function: General neutronics calculation including cell calculation with burn-up, core calculation for any type of thermal reactor. Core burn-up calculation and fuel management by an auxiliary code. 2 - Method of solution: Collision probability method, 1D and 2D Sn for cell calculation; 1D, 2D and 3D diffusion for core calculation. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: 20 regions for a continuous energy resonance absorption calculation and 16 steps for cell burn-up

  14. Investigation and basic evaluation for ultra-high burnup fuel cladding material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ioka, Ikuo; Nagase, Fumihisa; Futakawa, Masatoshi; Kiuchi, Kiyoshi

    2001-03-01

    In ultra-high burnup of the power reactor, it is an essential problem to develop the cladding with excellent durability. First, development history and approach of the safety assessment of Zircaloy for the high burnup fuel were summarized in the report. Second, the basic evaluation and investigation were carried out on the material with high practicability in order to select the candidate materials for the ultra-high burnup fuel. In addition, the basic research on modification technology of the cladding surface was carried out from the viewpoint of the addition of safety margin as a cladding. From the development history of the zirconium alloy including the Zircaloy, it is hard to estimate the results of in-pile test from those of the conventional corrosion test (out-pile test). Therefore, the development of the new testing technology that can simulate the actual environment and the elucidation of the corrosion-controlling factor of the cladding are desired. In cases of RIA (Reactivity Initiated Accident) and LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident), it seems that the loss of ductility in zirconium alloys under heavy irradiation and boiling of high temperature water restricts the extension of fuel burnup. From preliminary evaluation on the high corrosion-resistance materials (austenitic stainless steel, iron or nickel base superalloys, titanium alloy, niobium alloy, vanadium alloy and ferritic stainless steel), stabilized austenitic stainless steels with a capability of future improvement and high-purity niobium alloys with a expectation of the good corrosion resistance were selected as candidate materials of ultra-high burnup cladding. (author)

  15. Regulatory status of burnup credit for dry storage and transport of spent nuclear fuel in the United States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carlson, D.E.

    2001-01-01

    During 1999, the Spent Fuel Project Office of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) introduced technical guidance for allowing burnup credit in the criticality safety analysis of casks for transporting or storing spent fuel from pressurized water reactors. This paper presents the recommendations embodied by the current NRC guidance, discusses associated technical issues, and reviews information needs and industry priorities for expanding the scope and content of the guidance. Allowable analysis approaches for burnup credit must account for the fuel irradiation variables that affect spent fuel reactivity, including the axial and horizontal variation of burnup within fuel assemblies. Consistent with international transport regulations, the burnup of each fuel assembly must be verified by pre-loading measurements. The current guidance limits the credited burnup to no more than 40 GWd/MTU and the credited cooling time to five years, imposes a burnup offset for fuels with initial enrichments between 4 and 5 wt% 235U, does not include credit for fission products, and excludes burnup credit for damaged fuels and fuels that have used burnable absorbers. Burnup credit outside these limits may be considered when adequately supported by technical information beyond that reviewed to-date by the NRC staff. The guidance further recommends that residual subcritical margins from the neglect of fission products, and any other nuclides not credited in the licensing-basis analysis, be estimated for each cask design and compared against estimates of the maximum reactivity effects associated with remaining computational uncertainties and potentially nonconservative modeling assumptions. The NRC's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research is conducting a research program to help develop the technical information needed for refining and expanding the evolving guidance. Cask vendors have announced plans to submit the first NRC license applications for burnup credit later this year

  16. Reactor-specific spent fuel discharge projections: 1986 to 2020

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heeb, C.M.; Walling, R.C.; Purcell, W.L.

    1987-03-01

    The creation of five reactor-specific spent fuel data bases that contain information on the projected amounts of spent fuel to be discharged from US commercial nuclear reactors through the year 2020 is described. The data bases contain detailed spent-fuel information from existing, planned, and projected pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR). The projections are based on individual reactor information supplied by the US reactor owners. The basic information is adjusted to conform to Energy Information Agency (EIA) forecasts for nuclear installed capacity, generation, and spent fuel discharged. The EIA cases considered are: (1) No new orders with extended burnup, (2) No new orders with constant burnup, (3) Upper reference (which assumes extended burnup), (4) Upper reference with constant burnup, and (5) Lower reference (which assumes extended burnup). Detailed, by-reactor tables are provided for annual discharged amounts of spent fuel, for storage requirements assuming maximum-at-reactor storage, and for storage requirements assuming maximum-at-reactor plus intra-utility transshipment of spent fuel. 6 refs., 8 figs., 8 tabs

  17. Reactor-specific spent fuel discharge projections: 1985 to 2020

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heeb, C.M.; Libby, R.A.; Walling, R.C.; Purcell, W.L.

    1986-09-01

    The creation of four spent-fuel data bases that contain information on the projected amounts of spent fuel to be discharged from US commercial nuclear reactors through the year 2020 is described. The data bases contain detailed spent-fuel information from existing, planned, and projected pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR). The projections are based on individual reactor information supplied by the US reactor owners. The basic information is adjusted to conform to Energy Information Agency (EIA) forecasts for nuclear installed capacity, generation, and spent fuel discharged. The EIA cases considered are: (1) No New Orders with Extended Burnup, (2) No New Orders with Constant Burnup, (3) Middle Case with Extended Burnup, and (4) Middle Case with Constant Burnup. Detailed, by-reactor tables are provided for annual discharged amounts of spent fuel, for storage requirements assuming maximum-at-reactor storage, and for storage requirements assuming maximum-at-reactor plus intra-utility transshipment of spent fuel

  18. Fuel Rod Performance Evaluation of CE 16 x 16 LTA Operated at Steady State Using Transuranus and Pad Codes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krasnorutskyy, V.; Slyeptsov, O. [Nuclear Fuel Cycle Science and Technology Establishment (NFCSTE), National Science Center, Kharkhov Institute of Physics and Technology (NSC KIPT), Kharkhov (Ukraine)

    2013-03-15

    The report performed under IAEA research contract No. 15370 describes the results of fuel performance evaluation of PWR fuel rods operated at steady state up to discharge burnup of {approx}60 GWD/MTU using the codes of TRANSURANUS designed by ITU and PAD designed by Westinghouse. The experimental results from US-PWR 16x16 LTA Extended Burnup Demonstration Program presented in the IFPE database of the OECD/NEA have been utilized for assessing the codes themselves during simulation of such properties as rod burnup, cladding corrosion, fuel densification and swelling, cladding irradiation growth and strain, FGR and RIP. The results obtained by PAD showed that the code properly simulates rod burnup, cladding irradiation growth and cladding oxidation with Standard Zr-4 material. The calculated burnup values along the fuel stack vary within {+-} 5% of the rod average burnup. The predicted values of the rod axial growth are (0.88-0.94) % and within the measured ones obtained in the burnup range of (50 - 60) GWD/MTU. With allowance made for probability of crud deposition and hot channel hydraulic diameter variation, the axial distribution of oxide layer is predicted well. For the nominal rod dimensions and operation conditions, the calculated peak oxide thickness is slightly overestimated based on the BE corrosion model parameters. The WEC fuel swelling and densification model together with the US NRC one, which is incorporated in the code, were used to assess the change in fuel pellet density ({Delta}{rho}) and fuel volume ({Delta}V{sub F}/V) vs. burnup as well as the rod void volume change, {Delta}V{sub V}/V, and the cladding outer diameter (OD) variation along the fuel stack. (author)

  19. High burnup, high power irradiation behavior of helium-bonded mixed carbide fuel pins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, P.J.; Nayak, U.P.; Boltax, A.

    1983-01-01

    Large diameter (9.4 mm) helium-bonded mixed carbide fuel pins were successfully irradiated in EBR-II to high burnup (12%) at high power levels (100 kW/m) with peak cladding midwall temperatures of 550 0 C. The wire-wrapped pins were clad with 0.51-mm-thick, 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel and contained hyperstoichiometric (Usub(0.8)Pusub(0.2))C fuel covering the smeared density range from 75-82% TD. Post-irradiation examinations revealed: extensive fuel-cladding mechanical interaction over the entire length of the fuel column, 35% fission gas release at 12% burnup, cladding carburization and fuel restructuring. (orig.)

  20. Grain and burnup dependence of spent fuel oxidation: geological repository impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanson, B. D.; Kansa, E. J.; Stoot, R.B.

    1998-01-01

    Further refinements to the oxidation model of Stout et al. have been made. The present model incorporates the burnup dependence of the oxidation rate in addition to an allowance for a distribution of grain sizes. The model was tested by comparing the model results with the oxidation histories of spent fuel samples oxidized in Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) or Oven Dry-Bath (ODB) experiments. The comparison between the experimental and model results are remarkably close and confirm the assumption that grain-size distributions and activation energies are the important parameters to predicting oxidation behavior. The burnup dependence of the activation energy was shown to have a greater effect than decreasing the effective grain size in suppressing the rate of the reaction U 4 O 9 (rightwards arrow)U 3 O 4 . Model results predict that U 3 O 8 formation of spent fuels exposed to oxygen will be suppressed even for high burnup fuels that have undergone restructuring in the rim region, provided the repository temperature is kept sufficient

  1. Modeling of burnup express-estimation for UO{sub 2}-fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Likhanskii, Vladimir V.; Tokarev, Sergey A.; Vilkhivskaya, Olga V., E-mail: vilhivskaya_olga@mail.ru

    2017-03-15

    Highlights: • Proposed engineering model estimates fuel burnup by {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs activity ratio. • Buildup of cesium isotopes relies on changing neutron spectrum in the core cycle. • {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs activity ratios in FAs with Gd-doped fuel rods are analyzed. • Comparison of the model calculations with the NPPs spike measurements is presented. - Abstract: The paper presents the developed engineering model of cesium isotopes production as function of UO{sub 2}-fuel burnup and an assessment of their activity ratios. The model considers the evolution of linear power of gadolinium-doped fuel rods and fuel rods surrounding them in fuel assemblies with high enrichment fuel, harder neutron spectrum, and the changes in cross-sections of neutron reactions in thermal and epithermal energy areas. Parametrical dependences in the model are based on the fuel operation data for nuclear power plants and on the detailed neutronic-physical calculations of the core. Presented are the results of the model calculations for the {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs activity ratios in fuel taking into account the parameter of hardness of the neutron spectrum during the first irradiation cycle for fuel with enrichment ranging from 3.6 wt% in {sup 235}U.

  2. PWR fuel behavior: lessons learned from LOFT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russell, M.L.

    1981-01-01

    A summary of the experience with the Loss-of-Fluid Test (LOFT) fuel during loss-of-coolant experiments (LOCEs), operational and overpower transient tests and steady-state operation is presented. LOFT provides unique capabilities for obtaining pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel behavior information because it features the representative thermal-hydraulic conditions which control fuel behavior during transient conditions and an elaborate measurement system to record the history of the fuel behavior

  3. The radial distribution of plutonium in high burnup UO2 fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lassmann, K.; O'Carroll, C.; Laar, J. van de; Walker, C.T.

    1994-01-01

    A new model (TUBRNP) is described which predicts the radial power density distribution as a function of burnup (and hence the radial burnup profile as a function of time) together with the radial profile of uranium and plutonium isotopes. Comparisons between measurements and the predictions of the TUBRNP model are made on fuels with enrichments in the range 2.9 to 8.25% and with burnups between 21 000 and 64 000 MWd/t. It is shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental measurements and is a marked improvement on earlier versions. (orig.)

  4. Proceedings of a workshop on the use of burnup credit in spent fuel transport casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, T.L.

    1989-10-01

    The Department of Energy sponsored a workshop on the use of burnup credit in the criticality design of spent fuel shipping casks on February 21 and 22, 1988. Twenty-five different presentations on many related topics were conducted, including the effects of burnup credit on the design and operation of spent fuel storage pools, casks and modules, and shipping casks; analysis and physics issues related to burnup credit; regulatory issues and criticality safety; economic incentives and risks associated with burnup credit; and methods for verifying spent fuel characteristics. An abbreviated version of the DOE workshop was repeated as a special session at the November 1988 American Nuclear Society Meeting in Washington, DC. Each of the invited speakers prepared detailed papers on his or her respective topic. The individual papers have been cataloged separately

  5. A SAS2H/KENO-V methodology for 3D fuel burnup analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milosevic, M.; Greenspan, E.; Vujic, J.

    2002-01-01

    An efficient methodology for 3D fuel burnup analysis of LWR reactors is described in this paper. This methodology is founded on coupling Monte Carlo method for 3D calculation of node power distribution, and transport method for depletion calculation in ID Wigner-Seitz equivalent cell for each node independently. The proposed fuel burnup modeling, based on application of SCALE-4.4a control modules SAS2H and KENO-V.a is verified for the case of 2D x-y model of IRIS 15 x 15 fuel assembly (with reflective boundary condition) by using two well benchmarked code systems. The one is MOCUP, a coupled MCNP-4C and ORIGEN2.1 utility code, and the second is KENO-V.a/ORIGEN2.1 code system recently developed by authors of this paper. The proposed SAS2H/KENO-V.a methodology was applied for 3D burnup analysis of IRIS-1000 benchmark.44 core. Detailed k sub e sub f sub f and power density evolution with burnup are reported. (author)

  6. Technical Basis for Peak Reactivity Burnup Credit for BWR Spent Nuclear Fuel in Storage and Transportation Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marshall, William BJ J [ORNL; Ade, Brian J [ORNL; Bowman, Stephen M [ORNL; Gauld, Ian C [ORNL; Ilas, Germina [ORNL; Mertyurek, Ugur [ORNL; Radulescu, Georgeta [ORNL

    2015-01-01

    Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission have initiated a multiyear project to investigate application of burnup credit for boiling-water reactor (BWR) fuel in storage and transportation casks. This project includes two phases. The first phase (1) investigates applicability of peak reactivity methods currently used in spent fuel pools (SFPs) to storage and transportation systems and (2) evaluates validation of both reactivity (keff) calculations and burnup credit nuclide concentrations within these methods. The second phase will focus on extending burnup credit beyond peak reactivity. This paper documents the first phase, including an analysis of lattice design parameters and depletion effects, as well as both validation components. Initial efforts related to extended burnup credit are discussed in a companion paper. Peak reactivity analyses have been used in criticality analyses for licensing of BWR fuel in SFPs over the last 20 years. These analyses typically combine credit for the gadolinium burnable absorber present in the fuel with a modest amount of burnup credit. Gadolinium burnable absorbers are used in BWR assemblies to control core reactivity. The burnable absorber significantly reduces assembly reactivity at beginning of life, potentially leading to significant increases in assembly reactivity for burnups less than 15–20 GWd/MTU. The reactivity of each fuel lattice is dependent on gadolinium loading. The number of gadolinium-bearing fuel pins lowers initial lattice reactivity, but it has a small impact on the burnup and reactivity of the peak. The gadolinium concentration in each pin has a small impact on initial lattice reactivity but a significant effect on the reactivity of the peak and the burnup at which the peak occurs. The importance of the lattice parameters and depletion conditions are primarily determined by their impact on the gadolinium depletion. Criticality code validation for BWR burnup

  7. Characterization of used nuclear fuel with multivariate analysis for process monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dayman, Kenneth J., E-mail: kenneth.dayman@gmail.com [University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78758 (United States); Coble, Jamie B.; Orton, Christopher R.; Schwantes, Jon M. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Boulevard, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99354 (United States)

    2014-01-21

    This paper presents initial development of a reactor-type classifier that is used to select a reactor-specific partial least squares model to predict used nuclear fuel burnup. Nuclide activities for prototypic used fuel samples were generated in ORIGEN-ARP and used to investigate techniques to characterize used nuclear fuel in terms of reactor type (pressurized or boiling water reactor) and burnup. A variety of reactor type classification algorithms, including k-nearest neighbors, linear and quadratic discriminant analyses, and support vector machines, were evaluated to differentiate used fuel from pressurized and boiling water reactors. Then, reactor type-specific partial least squares models were developed to predict the burnup of the fuel. Using these reactor type-specific models instead of a model trained for all light water reactors improved the accuracy of burnup predictions. The developed classification and prediction models were combined and applied to a large dataset that included eight fuel assembly designs, two of which were not used in training the models, and spanned the range of the initial {sup 235}U enrichment, cooling time, and burnup values expected of future commercial used fuel for reprocessing. Error rates were consistent across the range of considered enrichment, cooling time, and burnup values. Average absolute relative errors in burnup predictions for validation data both within and outside the training space were 0.0574% and 0.0597%, respectively. The errors seen in this work are artificially low, because the models were trained, optimized, and tested on simulated, noise-free data. However, these results indicate that the developed models may generalize well to new data and that the proposed approach constitutes a viable first step in developing a fuel characterization algorithm based on gamma spectra. -- Highlights: • We investigate characterization of used nuclear fuel with multivariate analysis. • PWR and BWR fuels expected in

  8. A complete NUHOMS {sup registered} solution for storage and transport of high burnup spent fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bondre, J. [Transnuclear, Inc. (AREVA Group), Fremont, CA (United States)

    2004-07-01

    The discharge burnups of spent fuel from nuclear power plants keep increasing with plants discharging or planning to discharge fuel with burnups in excess of 60,000 MWD/MTU. Due to limited capacity of spent fuel pools, transfer of older cooler spent fuel from fuel pool to dry storage, and very limited options for transport of spent fuel, there is a critical need for dry storage of high burnup, higher heat load spent fuel so that plants could maintain their full core offload reserve capability. A typical NUHOMS {sup registered} solution for dry spent fuel storage is shown in the Figure 1. Transnuclear, Inc. offers two advanced NUHOMS {sup registered} solutions for the storage and transportation of high burnup fuel. One includes the NUHOMS {sup registered} 24PTH system for plants with 90.7 Metric Ton (MT) crane capacity; the other offers the higher capacity NUHOMS {sup registered} 32PTH system for higher crane capacity. These systems include NUHOMS {sup registered} - 24PTH and -32PTH Transportable Canisters stored in a concrete storage overpack (HSM-H). These canisters are designed to meet all the requirements of both storage and transport regulations. They are designed to be transported off-site either directly from the spent fuel pool or from the storage overpack in a suitable transport cask.

  9. Configuration of LWR fuel enrichment or burnup yielding maximum power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bartosek, V.; Zalesky, K.

    1976-01-01

    An analysis is given of the spatial distribution of fuel burnup and enrichment in a light-water lattice of given dimensions with slightly enriched uranium, at which the maximum output is achieved. It is based on the spatial solution of neutron flux using a one-group diffusion model in which linear dependence may be expected of the fission cross section and the material buckling parameter on the fuel burnup and enrichment. Two problem constraints are considered, i.e., the neutron flux value and the specific output value. For the former the optimum core configuration remains qualitatively unchanged for any reflector thickness, for the latter the cases of a reactor with and without reflector must be distinguished. (Z.M.)

  10. Generation of consistent nuclear properties of DUPIC fuel by DRAGON with ENDF/B-VI nuclear data library

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, W.; Rozon, D.

    1998-01-01

    DRAGON code with 89-groups ENDF/B-VI cross section library was used in this paper to generate consistent nuclear properties of DUPIC fuel. The reference feed material used for the DUPIC fuel cycle is a 17x17 French standard 900 MWe PWR spent fuel assembly with 3.2 w/o initial enrichment and 32500 MWD/7 discharge burnup. The PWR fuel assembly was modeled by JPMT/SYBILT transport method in DRAGON to generate nuclide fields of spent PWR fuel. The resultant nuclide fields constitute the initial fuel composition files for reference DUPIC fuel which can be accessed by DRAGON for CANDU 2D cluster geometry depletion calculation and 3D supercell calculation. Because of uneven spatial power distribution in PWR assemblies and full core, unexpected transition cycle, and various fuel management strategy, the spent PWR fuel composition is expected to be different from one assembly to the next. This heterogeneity was characterized also by modeling various spent PWR fuel assembly types in the paper. (author)

  11. Modification in the FUDA computer code to predict fuel performance at high burnup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Das, M; Arunakumar, B V; Prasad, P N [Nuclear Power Corp., Mumbai (India)

    1997-08-01

    The computer code FUDA (FUel Design Analysis) participated in the blind exercises organized by the IAEA CRP (Co-ordinated Research Programme) on FUMEX (Fuel Modelling at Extended Burnup). While the code prediction compared well with the experiments at Halden under various parametric and operating conditions, the fission gas release and fission gas pressure were found to be slightly over-predicted, particularly at high burnups. In view of the results of 6 FUMEX cases, the main models and submodels of the code were reviewed and necessary improvements were made. The new version of the code FUDA MOD 2 is now able to predict fuel performance parameter for burn-ups up to 50000 MWD/TeU. The validation field of the code has been extended to prediction of thorium oxide fuel performance. An analysis of local deformations at pellet interfaces and near the end caps is carried out considering the hourglassing of the pellet by finite element technique. (author). 15 refs, 1 fig.

  12. Modification in the FUDA computer code to predict fuel performance at high burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, M.; Arunakumar, B.V.; Prasad, P.N.

    1997-01-01

    The computer code FUDA (FUel Design Analysis) participated in the blind exercises organized by the IAEA CRP (Co-ordinated Research Programme) on FUMEX (Fuel Modelling at Extended Burnup). While the code prediction compared well with the experiments at Halden under various parametric and operating conditions, the fission gas release and fission gas pressure were found to be slightly over-predicted, particularly at high burnups. In view of the results of 6 FUMEX cases, the main models and submodels of the code were reviewed and necessary improvements were made. The new version of the code FUDA MOD 2 is now able to predict fuel performance parameter for burn-ups up to 50000 MWD/TeU. The validation field of the code has been extended to prediction of thorium oxide fuel performance. An analysis of local deformations at pellet interfaces and near the end caps is carried out considering the hourglassing of the pellet by finite element technique. (author). 15 refs, 1 fig

  13. Neutronic analysis of a fuel element with variations in fuel enrichment and burnable poison

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Faria, Rochkhudson B. de; Martins, Felipe; Velasquez, Carlos E.; Cardoso, Fabiano; Fortini, Angela; Pereira, Claubia, E-mail: rochkdefaria@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: claubia@nuclear.ufmg.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear

    2017-07-01

    In this work, the goal was to evaluate the neutronic behavior during the fuel burnup changing the amount of burnable poison and fuel enrichment. For these analyses, it was used a 17 x 17 PWR fuel element, simulated using the 238 groups library cross-section collapsed from ENDF/BVII.0 and TRITON module of SCALE 6.0 code system. The results confirmed the effective action of the burnable poison in the criticality control, especially at Beginning Of Cycle (BOC) and in the burnup kinetics, because at the end of the fuel cycle there was a minimal residual amount of neutron absorbers ({sup 155}Gd and {sup 157}Gd), as expected. At the end of the cycle, the fuel element was still critical in all simulated situations, indicating the possibility of extending the fuel burn. (author)

  14. Grain size and burnup dependence of spent fuel oxidation: Geological repository impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kansa, E.J.; Hanson, B.D.; Stout, R.B.

    1999-01-01

    Further refinements to the oxidation model of Stout et al. have been made. The present model incorporates the burnup dependence of the oxidation rate and an allowance for a distribution of grain sizes. The model was tested by comparing the model results with the oxidation histories of spent-fuel samples oxidized in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) or oven dry-bath (ODB) experiments. The experimental and model results are remarkably close and confirm the assumption that grain-size distributions and activation energies are the important parameters to predicting oxidation behavior. The burnup dependence of the activation energy was shown to have a greater effect than decreasing the effective grain size in suppressing the rate of the reaction U 4 O 9 r↓U 3 O 8 . Model results predict that U 3 O 8 formation of spent fuels exposed to oxygen will be suppressed even for high burnup fuels that have undergone restructuring in the rim region, provided the repository temperature is kept sufficiently low

  15. Development of the CANDU high-burnup fuel design/analysis technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suk, Ho Chun; Sim, K. S.; Oh, D. J.; Park, J. H.; Jun, J. S.; Yoo, K. J.

    1997-08-01

    This report contains all the information related to the development of the CANDU advanced fuel, so-called CANFLEX-NU, which is composed of 43 elements with natural uranium fuel. Also, it contains the compatibility study of CANFLEX-RU which is considered as a CANDU high burnup fuel. This report describes the mechanical design, thermalhydraulic and safety evaluations of CANFLEX fuel bundle. (author). 38 refs., 24 tabs., 74 figs.

  16. Development of the CANDU high-burnup fuel design/analysis technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suk, Ho Chun; Sim, K. S.; Oh, D. J.; Park, J. H.; Jun, J. S.; Yoo, K. J.

    1997-08-01

    This report contains all the information related to the development of the CANDU advanced fuel, so-called CANFLEX-NU, which is composed of 43 elements with natural uranium fuel. Also, it contains the compatibility study of CANFLEX-RU which is considered as a CANDU high burnup fuel. This report describes the mechanical design, thermalhydraulic and safety evaluations of CANFLEX fuel bundle. (author). 38 refs., 24 tabs., 74 figs

  17. Determination of reactor fuel burnup using passive neutron assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kodeli, I.; Trkov, A.; Najzer, M.; Ertek, C.

    1988-01-01

    Passive neutron assay (PNA) method was developed to verify the fissile inventory of the irradiated reactor fuels. The characteristics of the method were studied at 'Jozef Stefan' Institute. The dependence of neutron source in the fuel on burnup, cooling time, initial enrichment and specific power were investigated and the accuracy of the method, using available computer codes was estimated. (author)

  18. Reactivity effect of spent fuel due to spatial distributions for coolant temperature and burnup

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hayashi, T.; Yamane, Y. [Nagoya Univ., Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, Nagoya, Aichi (Japan); Suyama, K. [OECD/NEA, Paris (France); Mochizuki, H. [Japan Research Institute, Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

    2002-03-01

    We investigated the reactivity effect of spent fuel caused by the spatial distributions of coolant temperature and burnup by using the integrated burnup calculation code system SWAT. The reactivity effect which arises from taking account of the spatial coolant temperature distribution increases as the average burnup increases, and reaches the maximum value of 0.69%{delta}k/k at 50 GWd/tU when the burnup distribution is concurrently considered. When the burnup distribution is ignored, the reactivity effect decreases by approximately one-third. (author)

  19. Calculation of nuclide inventory, decay power, activity and dose rates for spent nuclear fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haakansson, Rune

    2000-03-01

    The nuclide inventory was calculated for a BWR and a PWR fuel element, with burnups of 38 and 55 MWd/kg uranium for the BWR fuel, and 42 and 60 MWd/kg uranium for the PWR fuel. The calculations were performed for decay times of up to 300,000 years. Gamma and neutron dose rates have been calculated at a distance of 1 m from a bare fuel element and outside the spent fuel canister. The calculations were performed using the CASMO-4 code

  20. Fuel and fuel pin behaviour in a high burnup fast breeder fuel subassembly: Results of destructive post-irradiation examinations of the KNK II/1 fuel subassembly NY-205

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patzer, G.

    1991-05-01

    The report gives a summarizing overview of the design characteristics, of the irradiation history and of the results of the destructive post-irradiation examinations of the fuel pins of the high-burnup fuel subassembly NY-205 of the KNK II first core. This element was operated for about 10 years and reached a maximum local burnup of 175 MWd/kg(HM) and a maximum neutron dose of 67 dpa-NRT. The main design data of this subassembly agree with those of the SNR 300 Mark-Ia, and it reached more than twice of the burnup and a similar neutron dose as foreseen for the SNR 300 fuel subassemblies [de

  1. Prototypical fabrication of PWR spent fuel shipping cask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwack, Eun Ho; Kim, Byung Ku; Kang, Hee Yung; Lee, Chung Young; Jeon, Kyeong Lak; Lee, Bum Soo

    1985-02-01

    This report describes about the safety analysis for the spent fuel shipping cask, which is used to transfer a single fuel assembly discharged from PWR in operation in Korea. The contents cover the methods and the results of structural, thermal, thermo-hydraulic, radiation shield and criticality detail analysis. The safety evaluation has been made under the normal transportation and hypothetical accident conditions such as 30ft free drop, puncture, fire, immersion, penetration, corner drop, etc,. Some corrections in design are made, and a brief information for fabrication and transportation are obtained by the use of a 1/6 scale model. The design is based on one year cooling time of the spent fuel with 40,000 MWT/MTU maximum burnup, which gives 7.2KW decay heat and 1.6x10 6 ci/hr radiation intensity. The cask is composed of main body with the double closures, impact limiter and fuel basket. The inner shell, inner closure and valves constitute the pressure boundary of the containment. The inner, intermediate and outer shells, upper and lower forgings are made of stainless steel which compose the main body with lead for gamma shield and 50% ethylene glycol for neutron shield. The impact limiters are made of balsa wood on both end sides of the cask to protect the cask from a sudden shocks in accident during the transportation. The analysis results show that the cask is proved to retain its structural integrity within allowable stress and to be safe under the normal and hypothetical accident conditions, and the maximum dose rates of radiation at 2m distance from the surface of the cask are less than the required values. The weight will be 23.2tons in dry and 27.8 tons in wet with fuel loaded. All the design data, calculated results for the structural integrity, shield and thermal analysis are shown in this report with the basic drawings. (Author)

  2. FUEL BURN-UP CALCULATION FOR WORKING CORE OF THE RSG-GAS RESEARCH REACTOR AT BATAN SERPONG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tukiran Surbakti

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The neutronic parameters are required in the safety analysis of the RSG-GAS research reactor. The RSG-GAS research reactor, MTR (Material Testing Reactor type is used for research and also in radioisotope production. RSG-GAS has been operating for 30 years without experiencing significant obstacles. It is managed under strict requirements, especially fuel management and fuel burn-up calculations. The reactor is operated under the supervision of the Regulatory Body (BAPETEN and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency. In this paper, the experience of managing RSG-GAS core fuels will be discussed, there are hundred possibilities of fuel placements on the reactor core and the strategy used to operate the reactor will be crucial. However, based on strict calculation and supervision, there is no incorrect placement of the fuels in the core. The calculations were performed on working core by using the WIMSD-5B computer code with ENDFVII.0 data file to generate the macroscopic cross-section of fuel and BATAN-FUEL code were used to obtain the neutronic parameter value such as fuel burn-up fractions. The calculation of the neutronic core parameters of the RSG-GAS research reactor was carried out for U3Si2-Al fuel, 250 grams of mass, with an equilibrium core strategy. The calculations show that on the last three operating cores (T90, T91, T92, all fuels meet the safety criteria and the fuel burn-up does not exceed the maximum discharge burn-up of 59%. Maximum fuel burn-up always exists in the fuel which is close to the position of control rod.

  3. The burnup dependence of light water reactor spent fuel oxidation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hanson, B.D.

    1998-07-01

    Over the temperature range of interest for dry storage or for placement of spent fuel in a permanent repository under the conditions now being considered, UO 2 is thermodynamically unstable with respect to oxidation to higher oxides. The multiple valence states of uranium allow for the accommodation of interstitial oxygen atoms in the fuel matrix. A variety of stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric phases is therefore possible as the fuel oxidizers from UO 2 to higher oxides. The oxidation of UO 2 has been studied extensively for over 40 years. It has been shown that spent fuel and unirradiated UO 2 oxidize via different mechanisms and at different rates. The oxidation of LWR spent fuel from UO 2 to UO 2.4 was studied previously and is reasonably well understood. The study presented here was initiated to determine the mechanism and rate of oxidation from UO 2.4 to higher oxides. During the early stages of this work, a large variability in the oxidation behavior of samples oxidized under nearly identical conditions was found. Based on previous work on the effect of dopants on UO 2 oxidation and this initial variability, it was hypothesized that the substitution of fission product and actinide impurities for uranium atoms in the spent fuel matrix was the cause of the variable oxidation behavior. Since the impurity concentration is roughly proportional to the burnup of a specimen, the oxidation behavior of spent fuel was expected to be a function of both temperature and burnup. This report (1) summarizes the previous oxidation work for both unirradiated UO 2 and spent fuel (Section 2.2) and presents the theoretical basis for the burnup (i.e., impurity concentration) dependence of the rate of oxidation (Sections 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5), (2) describes the experimental approach (Section 3) and results (Section 4) for the current oxidation tests on spent fuel, and (3) establishes a simple model to determine the activation energies associated with spent fuel oxidation (Section 5)

  4. Determination of Fission Gas Inclusion Pressures in High Burnup Nuclear Fuel using Laser Ablation ICP-MS combined with SEM/EPMA and Optical Microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horvath, Matthias I.; Guenther-Leopold, Ines; Kivel, Niko; Restani, Renato; Guillong, Marcel; Izmer, Andrei; Hellwig, Christian; Guenther, Detlef

    2008-01-01

    In approximately 20% of all fissions at least one of the fission products is gaseous. These are mainly xenon and krypton isotopes contributing up to 90% by the xenon isotopes. Upon reaching a burn-up of 60 - 75 GWd/tHM a so called High Burnup Structure (HBS) is formed in the cooler rim of the fuel. In this region a depletion of the noble fission gases (FG) in the matrix and an enrichment of FG in μm-sized pores can be observed. Recent calculations show that in these pores the pressure at room temperature can be as large as 30 MPa. The knowledge of the FG pressure in pores is important to understand the high burn-up fuel behavior under accident conditions (i.e. RIA or LOCA). With analytical methods routinely used for the characterization of solid samples, i.e. Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), the quantification of gaseous inclusions is very difficult to almost impossible. The combination of a laser ablation system (LA) with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) offers a powerful tool for quantification of the gaseous pore inventory. This method offers the advantages of high spatial resolution with laser spot sizes down to 10 μm and low detection limits. By coupling with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the pore size distribution, EPMA for the FG inventory in the fuel matrix and optical microscopy for the LA-crater sizes, the pressures in the pores and porosity was calculated. As a first application of this calibration technique for gases, measurements were performed on pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel with a rod average of 105 GWd/tHM to determine the local FG pressure distribution. (authors)

  5. Study of nuclear fuel burn-up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavelescu, M.; Borza, M.

    1975-01-01

    The authors approach theoretical treatment of isotopic composition changement for nuclear fuel in nuclear reactors. They show the difficulty of exhaustive treatment of burn-up problems and introduce the principal simplifying principles. Due to these principles they write and solve analytically the evolution equations of the concentration for the principal nuclides both in the case of fast and thermal reactors. Finally, they expose and comment the results obtained in the case of a power fast reactor. (author)

  6. Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety Benchmark Phase III-C. Nuclide Composition and Neutron Multiplication Factor of a Boiling Water Reactor Spent Fuel Assembly for Burn-up Credit and Criticality Control of Damaged Nuclear Fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suyama, K.; Uchida, Y.; Kashima, T.; Ito, T.; Miyaji, T.

    2016-01-01

    Criticality control of damaged nuclear fuel is one of the key issues in the decommissioning operation of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident. The average isotopic composition of spent nuclear fuel as a function of burn-up is required in order to evaluate criticality parameters of the mixture of damaged nuclear fuel with other materials. The NEA Expert Group on Burn-up Credit Criticality (EGBUC) has organised several international benchmarks to assess the accuracy of burn-up calculation methodologies. For BWR fuel, the Phase III-B benchmark, published in 2002, was a remarkable landmark that provided general information on the burn-up properties of BWR spent fuel based on the 8x8 type fuel assembly. Since the publication of the Phase III-B benchmark, all major nuclear data libraries have been revised; in Japan from JENDL-3.2 to JENDL-4, in Europe from JEF-2.2 to JEFF-3.1 and in the US from ENDF/B-VI to ENDF/B-VII.1. Burn-up calculation methodologies have been improved by adopting continuous-energy Monte Carlo codes and modern neutronics calculation methods. Considering the importance of the criticality control of damaged fuel in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident, a new international burn-up calculation benchmark for the 9 x 9 STEP-3 BWR fuel assemblies was organised to carry out the inter-comparison of the averaged isotopic composition in the interest of the burnup credit criticality safety community. Benchmark specifications were proposed and approved at the EGBUC meeting in September 2012 and distributed in October 2012. The deadline for submitting results was set at the end of February 2013. The basic model for the benchmark problem is an infinite two-dimensional array of BWR fuel assemblies consisting of a 9 x 9 fuel rod array with a water channel in the centre. The initial uranium enrichment of fuel rods without gadolinium is 4.9, 4.4, 3.9, 3.4 and 2.1 wt% and 3.4 wt% for the rods using gadolinium. The burn-up conditions are

  7. Boron nitride coated uranium dioxide and uranium dioxide-gadolinium oxide fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gunduz, G [Department of Chemical Engineering, Middle East Technical Univ., Ankara (Turkey); Uslu, I; Tore, C; Tanker, E [Turkiye Atom Enerjisi Kurumu, Ankara (Turkey)

    1997-08-01

    Pure Urania and Urania-gadolinia (5 and 10%) fuels were produced by sol-gel technique. The sintered fuel pellets were then coated with boron nitride (BN). This is achieved through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using boron trichloride and ammonia. The coated samples were sintered at 1600 K. The analyses under scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed a variety of BN structures, mainly platelike and rodlike structures were observed. Burnup calculations by using WIMSD4 showed that BN coated and gadolinia containing fuels have larger burnups than other fuels. The calculations were repeated at different pitch distances. The change of the radius of the fuel pellet or the moderator/fuel ratio showed that BN coated fuel gives the highest burnups at the present design values of a PWR. Key words: burnable absorber, boron nitride, gadolinia, CVT, nuclear fuel. (author). 32 refs, 14 figs.

  8. Boron nitride coated uranium dioxide and uranium dioxide-gadolinium oxide fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunduz, G.; Uslu, I.; Tore, C.; Tanker, E.

    1997-01-01

    Pure Urania and Urania-gadolinia (5 and 10%) fuels were produced by sol-gel technique. The sintered fuel pellets were then coated with boron nitride (BN). This is achieved through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using boron trichloride and ammonia. The coated samples were sintered at 1600 K. The analyses under scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed a variety of BN structures, mainly platelike and rodlike structures were observed. Burnup calculations by using WIMSD4 showed that BN coated and gadolinia containing fuels have larger burnups than other fuels. The calculations were repeated at different pitch distances. The change of the radius of the fuel pellet or the moderator/fuel ratio showed that BN coated fuel gives the highest burnups at the present design values of a PWR. Key words: burnable absorber, boron nitride, gadolinia, CVT, nuclear fuel. (author). 32 refs, 14 figs

  9. Verification of FA2D Prediction Capability Using Fuel Assembly Benchmark

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jecmenica, R.; Pevec, D.; Grgic, D.; Konjarek, D.

    2008-01-01

    FA2D is 2D transport collision probability code developed at Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University Zagreb. It is used for calculation of cross section data at fuel assembly level. Main objective of its development was capability to generate cross section data to be used for fuel management and safety analyses of PWR reactors. Till now formal verification of code predictions capability is not performed at fuel assembly level, but results of fuel management calculations obtained using FA2D generated cross sections for NPP Krsko and IRIS reactor are compared against Westinghouse calculations. Cross section data were used within NRC's PARCS code and satisfactory preliminary results were obtained. This paper presents results of calculations performed for Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd., benchmark using FA2D, and SCALE5 TRITON calculation sequence (based on discrete ordinates code NEWT). Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd., Japan, released LWR Next Generation Fuels Benchmark with the aim to verify prediction capability in nuclear design for extended burnup regions. We performed calculations for two different Benchmark problem geometries - UO 2 pin cell and UO 2 PWR fuel assembly. The results obtained with two mentioned 2D spectral codes are presented for burnup dependency of infinite multiplication factor, isotopic concentration of important materials and for local peaking factor vs. burnup (in case of fuel assembly calculation).(author)

  10. iBEST: a program for burnup history estimation of spent fuels based on ORIGEN-S

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Do Yeon; Hong, Ser Gi; Ahn, Gil Hoon

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we describe a computer program, iBEST (inverse Burnup ESTimator), that we developed to accurately estimate the burnup histories of spent nuclear fuels based on sample measurement data. The burnup history parameters include initial uranium enrichment, burnup, cooling time after discharge from reactor, and reactor type. The program uses algebraic equations derived using the simplified burnup chains of major actinides for initial estimations of burnup and uranium enrichment, and it uses the ORIGEN-S code to correct its initial estimations for improved accuracy. In addition, we newly developed a stable bisection method coupled with ORIGEN-S to correct burnup and enrichment values and implemented it in iBEST in order to fully take advantage of the new capabilities of ORIGEN-S for improving accuracy. The iBEST program was tested using several problems for verification and well-known realistic problems with measurement data from spent fuel samples from the Mihama-3 reactor for validation. The test results show that iBEST accurately estimates the burnup history parameters for the test problems and gives an acceptable level of accuracy for the realistic Mihama-3 problems

  11. Fuel management and core design code systems for pressurized water reactor neutronic calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahnert, C.; Arayones, J.M.

    1985-01-01

    A package of connected code systems for the neutronic calculations relevant in fuel management and core design has been developed and applied for validation to the startup tests and first operating cycle of a 900MW (electric) PWR. The package includes the MARIA code system for the modeling of the different types of PWR fuel assemblies, the CARMEN code system for detailed few group diffusion calculations for PWR cores at operating and burnup conditions, and the LOLA code system for core simulation using onegroup nodal theory parameters explicitly calculated from the detailed solutions

  12. The traveller: a new look for PWR fresh fuel packages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bayley, B.; Stilwell, W.E.; Kent, N.A.

    2004-01-01

    The Traveller PWR fresh fuel shipping package represents a radical departure from conventional PWR fuel package designs. This paper follows the development effort from the establishment of goals and objectives, to intermediate testing and analysis, to final testing and licensing. The discussion starts with concept origination and covers the myriad iterations that followed until arriving at a design that would meet the demanding licensing requirements, last for 30 years, and would be easy to load and unload fuel, easy to handle, inexpensive to manufacture and transport, and simple and inexpensive to maintain

  13. VVANTAGE 6 - an advanced fuel assembly design for VVER reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doshi, P.K.; DeMario, E.E.; Knott, R.P.

    1993-01-01

    Over the last 25 years, Westinghouse fuel assemblies for pressurized water reactors (PWR's) have undergone significant changes to the current VANTAGE 5. VANTAGE 5 PWR fuel includes features such as removable top nozzles, debris filter bottom nozzles, low-pressure-drop zircaloy grids, zircaloy intermediate flow mixing grids, optimized fuel rods, in-fuel burnable absorbers, and increased burnup capability to region average values of 48000 MWD/MTU. These features have now been adopted to the VVER reactors. Westinghouse has completed conceptual designs for an advanced fuel assembly and other core components for VVER-1000 reactors known as VANTAGE 6. This report describes the VVANTAGE 6 fuel assembly design

  14. Review of Halden Reactor Project high burnup fuel data that can be used in safety analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiesenack, W.

    1996-01-01

    The fuels and materials testing programmes carried out at the OECD Halden Reactor Project are aimed at providing data in support of a mechanistic understanding of phenomena, especially as related to high burnup fuel. The investigations are focused on identifying long term property changes, and irradiation techniques and instrumentation have been developed over the years which enable to assess fuel behaviour and properties in-pile. The fuel-cladding gap has an influence on both thermal and mechanical behaviour. Improved gap conductance due to gap closure at high exposure is observed even in the case of a strong contamination with released fission gas. On the other hand, pellet-cladding mechanical interaction, which is measured with cladding elongation detectors and diameter gauges, is re-established after a phase with less interaction and is increasing. These developments are exemplified with data showing changes of fuel temperature, hydraulic diameter and cladding elongation with burnup. Fuel swelling and cladding primary and secondary creep have been successfully measured in-pile. They provide data for, e.g., the possible cladding lift-off to be accounted for at high burnup. Fuel conductivity degradation is observed as a gradual temperature increase with burnup. This affects stored heat, fission gas release and temperature dependent fuel behaviour in general. The Halden Project's data base on fission gas release shows that the phenomenon is associated with an accumulation of gas atoms at the grain boundaries to a critical concentration before appreciable release occurs. This is accompanied by an increase of the surface-to-volume ratio measured in-pile in gas flow experiments. A typical observation at high burnup is also that a burst release of fission gas may occur during a power decrease. Gas flow and pressure equilibration experiments have shown that axial communication is severely restricted at high burnup

  15. Irradiation experiment on fast reactor metal fuels containing minor actinides up to 7 at.% burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohta, H.; Yokoo, T.; Ogata, T.; Inoue, T.; Ougier, M.; Glatz, J.P.; Fontaine, B.; Breton, L.

    2007-01-01

    Fast reactor metal fuels containing minor actinides (MAs: Np, Am, Cm) and rare earths (REs) have been irradiated in the fast reactor PHENIX. In this experiment, four types of fuel alloys, U-19Pu-10Zr, U-19Pu-10Zr-2MA-2RE, U-19Pu-10Zr-5MA-5RE and U-19Pu-10Zr-5MA (wt.%), are loaded into part of standard metal fuel stacks. The postirradiation examinations will be conducted at ∼2.4, ∼7 and ∼11 at.% burnup. As for the low-burnup fuel pins, nondestructive postirradiation tests have already been performed and the fuel integrity was confirmed. Furthermore, the irradiation experiment for the intermediate burnup goal of ∼7 at.% was completed in July 2006. For the irradiation period of 356.63 equivalent full-power days, the neutron flux level remained in the range of 3.5-3.6 x 10 15 n/cm 2 /s at the axial peak position. On the other hand, the maximum linear power of fuel alloys decreased gradually from 305-315 W/cm (beginning of irradiation) to 250-260 W/cm (end of irradiation). The discharged peak burnup was estimated to be 6.59-7.23 at.%. The irradiation behavior of MA-containing metal fuels up to 7 at.% burnup was predicted using the ALFUS code, which was developed for U-Pu-Zr ternary fuel performance analysis. As a result, it was evaluated that the fuel temperature is distributed between ∼410 deg. C and ∼645 deg. C at the end of the irradiation experiment. From the stress-strain analysis based on the preliminarily employed cladding irradiation properties and the FCMI stress distribution history, it was predicted that a cladding strain of not more than 0.9% would appear. (authors)

  16. Modeling CANDU type fuel behaviour during extended burnup irradiations using a revised version of the ELESIM code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arimescu, V.I.; Richmond, W.R.

    1992-05-01

    The high-burnup database for CANDU fuel, with a variety of cases, offers a good opportunity to check models of fuel behaviour, and to identify areas for improvement. Good agreement of calculated values of fission-gas release, and sheath hoop strain, with experimental data indicates that the global behaviour of the fuel element is adequately simulated by a computer code. Using, the ELESIM computer code, the fission-gas release, swelling, and fuel pellet expansion models were analysed, and changes made for gaseous swelling, and diffusional release of fission-gas atoms to the grain boundaries. Using this revised version of ELESIM, satisfactory agreement between measured values of fission-gas release was found for most of the high-burnup database cases. It is concluded that the revised version of the ELESIM code is able to simulate with reasonable accuracy high-burnup as well as low-burnup CANDU fuel

  17. Determination of the burn-up of TRIGA fuel elements by calculation with new TRIGLAV program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zagar, T.; Ravnik, M.

    1996-01-01

    The results of fuel element burn-up calculations with new TRIGLAV program are presented. TRIGLAV program uses two dimensional model. Results of calculation are compared to results calculated with program, which uses one dimensional model. The results of fuel element burn-up measurements with reactivity method are presented and compared with the calculated results. (author)

  18. Optimization of reload core design for PWR and application to Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen Wei; Zhongsheng Xie; Banghua Yin

    1995-01-01

    A direct efficient optimization technique has been effected for automatically optimizing the reload of PWR. The objective functions include: maximization of end-of-cycle (EOC) reactivity and maximization of average discharge burnup. The fuel loading optimization and burnable poison (BP) optimization are separated into two stages by using Haling principle. In the first stage, the optimum fuel reloading pattern without BP is determined by the Linear Programming method using enrichments as control variable. In the second stage the optimum BP allocation is determined by the Flexible Tolerance Method using the number of BP rods as control variable. A practical and efficient PWR reloading optimization program based on above theory has been encoded and successfully applied to Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant(QNP)cycle 2 reloading design

  19. Dissolution experiments of commercial PWR (52 MWd/kgU) and BWR (53 MWd/kgU) spent nuclear fuel cladded segments in bicarbonate water under oxidizing conditions. Experimental determination of matrix and instant release fraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Robles, E.; Serrano-Purroy, D.; Sureda, R.; Casas, I.; de Pablo, J.

    2015-10-01

    The denominated instant release fraction (IRF) is considered in performance assessment (PA) exercises to govern the dose that could arise from the repository. A conservative definition of IRF comprises the total inventory of radionuclides located in the gap, fractures, and the grain boundaries and, if present, in the high burn-up structure (HBS). The values calculated from this theoretical approach correspond to an upper limit that likely does not correspond to what it will be expected to be instantaneously released in the real system. Trying to ascertain this IRF from an experimental point of view, static leaching experiments have been carried out with two commercial UO2 spent nuclear fuels (SNF): one from a pressurized water reactor (PWR), labelled PWR, with an average burn-up (BU) of 52 MWd/kgU and fission gas release (FGR) of 23.1%, and one from a boiling water reactor (BWR), labelled BWR, with an average BU of and 53 MWd/kgU and FGR of 3.9%. One sample of each SNF, consisting of fuel and cladding, has been leached in bicarbonate water during one year under oxidizing conditions at room temperature (25 ± 5)°C. The behaviour of the concentration measured in solution can be divided in two according to the release rate. All radionuclides presented an initial release rate that after some days levels down to a slower second one, which remains constant until the end of the experiment. Cumulative fraction of inventory in aqueous phase (FIAPc) values has been calculated. Results show faster release in the case of the PWR SNF. In both cases Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Y, Tc, La and Nd dissolve congruently with U, while dissolution of Zr, Ru and Rh is slower. Rb, Sr, Cs and Mo, dissolve faster than U. The IRF of Cs at 10 and 200 days has been calculated, being (3.10 ± 0.62) and (3.66 ± 0.73) for PWR fuel, and (0.35 ± 0.07) and (0.51 ± 0.10) for BWR fuel.

  20. Effects of burnup on fission product release and implications for severe fuel damage events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Appelhans, A.D.; Cronenberg, A.W.; Carboneau, M.L.

    1984-01-01

    Xe, Kr, and I fission-product release data from (a) Halden tests where release in intact rods was measured during irradiation at burnups to 18,000 MWd/t and fuel temperatures of 800 to 1800 0 K, and (b) Power Burst Facility (PBF) tests where trace-irradiated fuel (approx. = 90 MWd/t) was driven to temperatures of >2400 0 K and fuel liquefaction occurred are discussed and related to fuel morphology. Results from both indicate that the fission-product morphology and fuel restructuring govern release behavior. The Halden tests show low release at beginning of life with a 10-fold increase at burnups in excess of 10,000 MWd/t, due to the development of grain boundary interlinkage at higher burnups. Such dependence of release on morphology characteristics is consistent with findings from the PBF tests, where for trace-irradiated fuel, the absence of interlinkage accounts for the low release rates observed during initial fuel heatup, with subsequent enhanced Xe, Kr, and I release via liquefaction or quench-induced destruction of the grain structure. Morphology is also shown to influence the chemical release form of I and Cs fission products

  1. Influence of high burnup on the decay heat power of spent fuel at long-term storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergelson, B.; Gerasimov, A.; Tikhomirov, G.

    2005-01-01

    Development and application of advanced fuel with higher burnup is now in practice of NPP with light water reactors in an increasing number of countries. High burnup allows to decrease significantly consumption of uranium. However, spent fuel of this type contains increased amount of high active actinides and fission products in comparison with spent fuel of common-type burnup. Therefore extended time of storage, improved cooling system of the storage facility will be required along with more strong radiation protection during storage, transportation and processing. Calculated data on decay heat power of spent uranium fuel of light water VVER-1000 type reactor are discussed in the paper. Long-term storage of discharged fuel during 100000 years is considered. Calculations were made for burnups of 40-70 MW d/kg. In the initial 50-year period of storage, power of fission products is much higher than that of actinides. Power of gamma-radiation is mainly due to fission products. During subsequent storage power of fission products quickly decreases, the main contribution to the power is given by actinides rather than by fission products. (author)

  2. New approach to derive linear power/burnup history input for CANDU fuel codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lac Tang, T.; Richards, M.; Parent, G.

    2003-01-01

    The fuel element linear power / burnup history is a required input for the ELESTRES code in order to simulate CANDU fuel behavior during normal operating conditions and also to provide input for the accident analysis codes ELOCA and SOURCE. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach to derive 'true', or at least more realistic linear power / burnup histories. Such an approach can be used to recreate any typical bundle power history if only a single pair of instantaneous values of bundle power and burnup, together with the position in the channel, are known. The histories obtained could be useful to perform more realistic simulations for safety analyses for cases where the reference (overpower) history is not appropriate. (author)

  3. Preliminary assessment of the benefits of derating a cask for increasing age/burnup capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broadhead, B.L.; Parks, C.V.; Joy, D.S.; Tang, J.S.

    1992-01-01

    This paper discusses a study performed to determine the extent to which the age/burnup capability of the Babcock and Wilcox BR-100 rail cask could be extended by reducing the number of fuel assemblies. Only the shielding effects of derating are accounted for in this study. Separate analyses will be necessary to address the enhanced heat loads due to increased burnup or decreased age. The criterion used to assess the derating was the calculated dose 2 m from the rail car. The reference calculations were based on the 70% design of the BR-100 cask with 21 PWR fuel assemblies. Seven different basket/assembly loading configurations were investigated. The results indicate that both an alternative 18-assembly basket configuration and a 17-assembly/4-empty-hole configuration for the 21-element basket offer substantial gains over the fully loaded reference 21-element basket configuration

  4. Fuel assemblies for PWR type reactors: fuel rods, fuel plates. CEA work presentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delafosse, Jacques.

    1976-01-01

    French work on PWR type reactors is reported: basic knowledge on Zr and its alloys and on uranium oxide; experience gained on other programs (fast neutron and heavy water reactors); zircaloy-2 or zircaloy-4 clad UO 2 fuel rods; fuel plates consisting of zircaloy-2 clad UO 2 squares of thickness varying between 2 and 4mm [fr

  5. Recent advances in PWR fuel design and performance experience at ABB-CENF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corsetti, Lawrence V.

    2004-01-01

    Utilities in the United States continue to move towards longer cycles and higher burnups to improve fuel cycle economics. This has placed increased demands for improved burnable absorber concepts. Zircaloy-4 corrosion behavior remains a high burnup performance concern. Over the past several years there has also been increasing utility interest in fuel reliability improvements. The development and application of erbia as a burnable absorber mixed directly with urania fuel will be discussed. Debris resistant fuel assembly designs and operating experience are reviewed. Oxide thickness measurements showing the improved corrosion resistance of optimized, low-tin Zircaloy-4 are presented. (author)

  6. Design study on PWR-type reduced-moderation light water core. Investigation of core adopting seed-blanket fuel assemblies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimada, Shoichiro; Kugo, Teruhiko; Okubo, Tsutomu; Iwamura, Takamichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    2003-03-01

    As a part of the design study on PWR-type Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors (RMWRs), a light water cooled core with the seed-blanket type fuel assemblies has been investigated. An assembly with seed of 13 layers and blanket of 5 layers was selected by optimization calculations. The core was composed with the 163 assemblies. The following results were obtained by burn-up calculations with the MVP-BURN code; The cycle length is 15 months by 3-batch refueling. The discharge burn-up including the inner blanket is about 25 GWd/t. The conversion ratio is about 1.0. The void reactivity coefficient is about-26.1 pcm/%void at BOC and -21.7pcm%void at EOC. About 10% of MA makes conversion ratio decrease about 0.05 to obtain the same burn-up. The void reactivity coefficient increased significantly and it is necessary to reduce it. FP amount corresponding to about 2 % of total plutonium weight makes reactivity decrease about 0.5 %{delta}k/k and void reactivity coefficient increase, however these changes are within the design margins. Capability of multi-recycling of plutonium was confirmed, using discharged plutonium for 4 cycles, if fissile plutonium of 15.5wt% is used. The conversion ratio increases by about 0.026 with recycling. However, void reactivity coefficient increases and some effort to obtain negative void reactivity coefficient is necessary. (author)

  7. Application of burnup credit concept to transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Futamura, Yoshiaki; Nakagome, Yoshihiro.

    1994-01-01

    For the design and safety assessment of the casks for transporting spent fuel, the fuel contained in them has been assumed to be new fuel. The reason is, it was difficult to evaluate the variation of the reactivity of fuel, and the research on the affecting factors and the method of measuring burnup were not much advanced. Recently, high burnup fuel has been adopted, and initial degree of enrichment rose. The research has been advanced for pursuing the economy of the casks for spent fuel, and burnup credit has become applicable to their design and safety assessment. As the result, the containing capacity increases by about 20%. When burnup credit is considered, it is necessary to confirm accurately the burnup of spent fuel. The burnup dependence of the concentration of fissile substances and neutron emissivity, the coolant void dependence of the concentration of fissile substances, and the relation of neutron multiplication rate with initial degree of enrichment or burnup are discussed. The conceptual design of casks considering burnup credit and its assessment, the merit, problem and the countermeasures to it when burnup credit is introduced are described. (K.I.)

  8. Conceptual design report of the SMART fuel rod

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Dae Ho; Lee, Chan Bock; Bang, Je Gun; Jung, Yeon Ho [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

    1999-03-01

    The SMART fuel rod is based on 17 x 17 KOFA(Korea Fuel Assembly) fuel rod of the 950MWe pressurize water reactor. The fuel stack length of the KOFA is 3658mm, otherwise SMART fuel rod stack length is 2000mm. The fuel rod contains UO{sub 2} pellets with the enrichment of 4.95%. All the fuel in core will be replaced every 35 months. The average LHGR of the fuel rod is 120 W/cm, commercial PWR is 178 W/cm, SMART LHGR is lower about 31% than commercial PWR. The core inlet and outlet temperature of coolant are respectively 270 deg C and 310 deg C, commercial PWR are respectively 291.6 deg C and 326.8 deg C, SMART inlet and outlet temperature is lower averaged 19.2 deg C than commercial PWR. The coolant use mixed soluble ammonia in high purity water and boron is not in. The general performance of the fuel rod UO{sub 2} pellet has been already verified through the sufficient burnup (60,000 MWd/MTU-rod avg.) experience as the rods of same design in commercial PWR's. But cladding corrosion is required the further verification. (author). 13 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.

  9. Benefits of cycle stretchout in pressurized water reactor extended-burnup fuel cycles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matzie, R.A.; Leung, D.C.; Liu, Y.; Beekmann, R.W.

    1981-01-01

    Nuclear reactors are inherently capable of operating for a substantial period beyond their nominal end of cycle (EOC) as a result of negative moderator and fuel temperature coefficients and the decrease in xenon poisoning with lower core power levels. This inherent capability can be used to advantage to reduce annual uranium makeup requirements and cycle energy costs by the use of planned EOC stretchout. This paper discusses the fuel utilization efficiency and economics of both the five-batch, extended-burnup cycle and the three-batch, standard-burnup cycle, which can be improved by employing planned EOC (end of cycle) stretchout. 11 refs

  10. Evaluation model for PWR irradiated fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gomes, I.C.

    1983-01-01

    The individual economic value of the plutonium isotopes for the recycle of the PWR reactor is investigated, assuming the existence of an market for this element. Two distinct market situations for the stages of the fuel cycle are analysed: one for the 1972 costs and the other for costs of 1982. Comparisons are made for each of the two market situations concerning enrichment of the U-235 in the uranium fuel that gives the minimum cost in the fuel cycle. The method adopted to establish the individual value of the plutonium isotopes consists on the economical analyses of the plutonium fuel cycle for four different isotopes mixtures refering to the uranium fuel cycle. (Author) [pt

  11. Simulation of the neutron-physical properties of the classical UO2 fuel and of MOX fuel during the burn-up by Transuranus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breza, J. jr.; Necas, V.; Daoeilek, P.

    2005-01-01

    The classical nuclear fuel UO 2 is well known for VVER reactors. Nevertheless, in the near future it will be possible to replace this fuel by novel, advanced kinds of fuel, for instance MOX, inert matrices fuel, etc., that will allow to increase the level of burn-up and minimize the amount of hazardous waste. The code Transuranus [2], designed at ITU Karlsruhe, is intended for thermal and mechanical analyses of fuel elements in nuclear reactors. We have utilized the code Transuranus to simulate the neutron-physical properties of the classical UO 2 fuel and of MOX fuel during the burn-up to a level of 40 MWd/kgHM. We compare obtained results of uranium and plutonium nuclides concentrations, their changes during burn-up, with results obtained by code HELIOS [3], which is well-validated code for this kind of applications. We performed calculations of fission gasses concentrations, namely xenon and krypton. (author)

  12. PWR Fuel licensing in France - from design to reprocessing: licensing of nuclear PWR fuel rod design to satisfy with criteria for normal and abnormal fuel operation in France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beraha, R.

    1999-01-01

    In this lecture are presented: French regulatory context; Current fuel management methods; Request from the french operator EdF; Most recent actions of the french Nuclear safety authority; Fuel assemblies deformations (impact of high burn-up; investigations during reactor's exploitation; control rods drop off times)

  13. Determination of nuclear fuel burn-up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kristak, J.; Vobecky, M.

    1973-01-01

    Samples containing a known content of 235 U were irradiated with several different neutron doses and activities were determined of radionuclides including 125 Sb, 144 Ce, 134 Cs, 154 Eu, 103 Ru, 95 Zr. The values thus obtained were divided by the 137 Cs activity value. The resulting neutron dose-dependent value is plotted into a calibration graph. The degree of nuclear fuel burn-up is obtained from the graph using an experimentally determined ratio of the activities of the above radionuclides. (B.S.)

  14. Reactor fuel depletion benchmark of TINDER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, W.J.; Oliveira, C.R.E. de; Hecht, A.A.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A reactor burnup benchmark of TINDER, coupling MCNP6 to CINDER2008, was performed. • TINDER is a poor candidate for fuel depletion calculations using its current libraries. • Data library modification is necessary if fuel depletion is desired from TINDER. - Abstract: Accurate burnup calculations are key to proper nuclear reactor design, fuel cycle modeling, and disposal estimations. The TINDER code, originally designed for activation analyses, has been modified to handle full burnup calculations, including the widely used predictor–corrector feature. In order to properly characterize the performance of TINDER for this application, a benchmark calculation was performed. Although the results followed the trends of past benchmarked codes for a UO 2 PWR fuel sample from the Takahama-3 reactor, there were obvious deficiencies in the final result, likely in the nuclear data library that was used. Isotopic comparisons versus experiment and past code benchmarks are given, as well as hypothesized areas of deficiency and future work

  15. Effect of burnup on the response of stainless steel-clad mixed-oxide fuels to simulated thermal transients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fenske, G.R.; Badyopadhyay, G.

    1981-01-01

    Direct electrical heating experiments were performed on irradiated fuel to study the fuel and cladding response as a function of burnup during a slow thermal transient. The results indicated that the nature and extent of the fuel and cladding behavior depended on the quantity of fission gas retained in the fuel. Fission-gas-driven fuel ejection occurred as the molten cladding flowed down the stack exposing bare, radially unrestrained fuel. The fuel dispersion occurred in the absence of molten fuel and the amount of fuel ejected increased with increasing burnup. 31 refs

  16. Alternatives for implementing burnup credit in the design and operation of spent fuel transport casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, T.L.; Lake, W.H.

    1989-01-01

    It is possible to develop an optimal strategy for implementing burnup credit in spent fuel transport casks. For transport, the relative risk is rapidly reduced if additional pre-transport controls such as a cavity dryness verifications are conducted prior to transport. Some other operational and design features that could be incorporated into a burnup credit cask strategy are listed. These examples represent many of the system features and alternatives already available for use in developing a broadly based criticality safety strategy for implementing burnup credit in the design and operation of spent fuel transport casks. 4 refs., 1 tab

  17. GAIA: AREVAs New PWR fuel assembly design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vollmert, N.; Gentet, G.; Louf, P.H.; Mindt, M.; O' Brian, J.; Peucker, J.

    2015-07-01

    GAIA is the label of a new PWR Fuel Assembly design developed by AREVA with the objective to provide its customers an advanced fuel assembly design regarding both robustness and performance. Since 2012 GAIA lead fuel assemblies are under irradiation in a Swedish reactor and since 2015 in a U.S. reactor. Visual inspections and examinations carried out so far during the outages confirmed the intended reliability, robustness and the performance enhancement of the design. (Author)

  18. Development of a new measurement method for fast breeder reactor fuel burnup using a shielded ion microprobe analyzer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuno, M.; Enokido, Y.; Itaki, T.; Kono, K.; Unno, I.; Yamanouchi, S.

    1985-01-01

    A new method of burnup measurement using a shielded ion microprobe analyzer (SIMA) has been developed. The method is based on the isotope analysis of uranium, plutonium, and fission products in irradiated mixed oxide fuel by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Fourteen samples irradiated in the Japanese experimental fast reactor JOYO were examined. The maximum local burnup of JOYO MK-I core fuels was about5.1 at. %. The axial burnup distribution of the fuel pin was in good agreement with that of the sibling pin in the same subassembly, measured by surface ionization mass spectrometry, which requires the chemical separation of fission products and heavy metals. The new method facilitates the rapid and accurate measurement of fast breeder reactor fuel burnup without human radiation exposure during sample preparation and analysis

  19. A relative risk comparison of criticality control strategies based on fresh fuel and burnup credit design bases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanders, T.L.

    1989-01-01

    The fresh fuel design basis provides some margin of safety, i.e., criticality safety is almost independent of loading operations if fuel designs do not change significantly over the next 40 years. However, the design basis enrichment for future nuclear fuel will most likely vary with time. As a result, it cannot be guaranteed that the perceived passivity of the concept will be maintained over the life cycle of a future cask system. Several options are available to ensure that the reliability of a burnup credit system is comparable to or greater than that of a system based on a fresh fuel assumption. Criticality safety and control reliability could increase with burnup credit implementation. The safety of a burnup credit system could be comparable to that for a system based on the fresh fuel assumption. A burnup credit philosophy could be implemented without any cost-benefit tradeoff. A burnup credit design basis could result in a significant reduction in total system risk as well as economic benefits. These reductions occur primarily as a result of increased cask capacities and, thus, fewer shipments. Fewer shipments also result in fewer operations over the useful life of a cask, and opportunities for error decrease. The system concept can be designed such that only benefits occur. These benefits could include enhanced criticality safety and the overall reliability of cask operations, as well as system risk and economic benefits. Thus, burnup credit should be available as an alternative for the criticality design of spent fuel shipping casks

  20. Spent fuel dissolution rates as a function of burnup and water chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, W.J.

    1998-06-01

    To help provide a source term for performance-assessment calculations, dissolution studies on light-water-reactor (LWR) spent fuel have been conducted over the past few years at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in support of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. This report describes that work for fiscal years 1996 through mid-1998 and includes summaries of some results from previous years for completeness. The following conclusions were based on the results of various flowthrough dissolution rate tests and on tests designed to measure the inventories of 129 I located within the fuel/cladding gap region of different spent fuels: (1) Spent fuels with burnups in the range 30 to 50 MWd/kgM all dissolved at about the same rate over the conditions tested. To help determine whether the lack of burnup dependence extends to higher and lower values, tests are in progress or planned for spent fuels with burnups of 13 and ∼ 65 MWd/kgM. (2) Oxidation of spent fuel up to the U 4 O 9+x stage does not have a large effect on intrinsic dissolution rates. However, this degree of oxidation could increase the dissolution rates of relatively intact fuel by opening the grain boundaries, thereby increasing the effective surface area that is available for contact by water. From a disposal viewpoint, this is a potentially more important consideration than the effect on intrinsic rates. (3) The gap inventories of 129 I were found to be smaller than the fission gas release (FGR) for the same fuel rod with the exception of the rod with the highest FGR. Several additional fuels would have to be tested to determine whether a generalized relationship exists between FGR and 129 I gap inventory for US LWR fuels

  1. A Small Modular Reactor Core Design using FCM Fuel and BISO BP particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Jae Yeon; Hwang, Dae Hee; Yoo, Ho Seong; Hong, Ser Gi [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    The objective of this work is to design a PWR small modular reactor which employs the advanced fuel technology of FCM particle fuels including BISO burnable poisons and advanced cladding of SiC in order to improve the fuel economy and safety by increasing fuel burnup and temperature, and by reducing hydrogen generation under accidents. Recently, many countries including USA have launched projects to develop the accident tolerant fuels (ATF) which can cope with the accidents such as LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident). In general, the ATF fuels are required to meet the PWR operational, safety, and fuel cycle constraints which include enhanced burnup, lower or no generation of hydrogen, lower operating temperatures, and enhanced retention of fission products. Another stream of research and development in nuclear society is to develop advanced small modular reactors in order to improve inherent passive safety and to reduce the risk of large capital investment. In this work, a small PWR modular reactor core was neutronically designed and analyzed. The SMR core employs new 13x13 fuel assemblies which are loaded with thick FCM fuel rods in which TRISO fuel particles AO and also the first cycle has the AOs which are within the typical design limit. Also, this figure shows that the evolutions of AO for the cycles 6 and 7 are nearly the same. we considered the SiC cladding for reduction of hydrogen generation under accidents. From the results of core design and analysis, it is shown that the core has long cycle length of 732 -1191 EFPDs, high discharge burnup of 101-105 MWD/kg, low power peaking factors, low axial offsets, negative MTCs, and large shutdown margins except for BOC of the first cycle. So, it can be concluded that the new SMR core is neutronically feasible.

  2. A Small Modular Reactor Core Design using FCM Fuel and BISO BP particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Jae Yeon; Hwang, Dae Hee; Yoo, Ho Seong; Hong, Ser Gi

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this work is to design a PWR small modular reactor which employs the advanced fuel technology of FCM particle fuels including BISO burnable poisons and advanced cladding of SiC in order to improve the fuel economy and safety by increasing fuel burnup and temperature, and by reducing hydrogen generation under accidents. Recently, many countries including USA have launched projects to develop the accident tolerant fuels (ATF) which can cope with the accidents such as LOCA (Loss of Coolant Accident). In general, the ATF fuels are required to meet the PWR operational, safety, and fuel cycle constraints which include enhanced burnup, lower or no generation of hydrogen, lower operating temperatures, and enhanced retention of fission products. Another stream of research and development in nuclear society is to develop advanced small modular reactors in order to improve inherent passive safety and to reduce the risk of large capital investment. In this work, a small PWR modular reactor core was neutronically designed and analyzed. The SMR core employs new 13x13 fuel assemblies which are loaded with thick FCM fuel rods in which TRISO fuel particles AO and also the first cycle has the AOs which are within the typical design limit. Also, this figure shows that the evolutions of AO for the cycles 6 and 7 are nearly the same. we considered the SiC cladding for reduction of hydrogen generation under accidents. From the results of core design and analysis, it is shown that the core has long cycle length of 732 -1191 EFPDs, high discharge burnup of 101-105 MWD/kg, low power peaking factors, low axial offsets, negative MTCs, and large shutdown margins except for BOC of the first cycle. So, it can be concluded that the new SMR core is neutronically feasible

  3. Radionuclide compositions of spent fuel and high level waste for the uranium and plutonium fuelled PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fairclough, M.P.; Tymons, B.J.

    1985-06-01

    The activities of a selection of radionuclides are presented for three types of reactor fuel of interest in radioactive waste management. The fuel types are for a uranium 'burning' PWR, a plutonium 'burning' PWR using plutonium recycled from spent uranium fuel and a plutonium 'burning' PWR using plutonium which has undergone multiple recycle. (author)

  4. Validation of a new continuous Monte Carlo burnup code using a Mox fuel assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El bakkari, B.; El Bardouni, T.; Merroun, O.; El Younoussi, C.; Boulaich, Y.; Boukhal, H.; Chakir, E.

    2009-01-01

    The reactivity of nuclear fuel decreases with irradiation (or burnup) due to the transformation of heavy nuclides and the formation of fission products. Burnup credit studies aim at accounting for fuel irradiation in criticality studies of the nuclear fuel cycle (transport, storage, etc...). The principal objective of this study is to evaluate the potential capabilities of a newly developed burnup code called 'BUCAL1'. BUCAL1 differs in comparison with other burnup codes as it does not use the calculated neutron flux as input to other computer codes to generate the nuclide inventory for the next time step. Instead, BUCAL1 directly uses the neutron reaction tally information generated by MCNP for each nuclide of interest to determine the new nuclides inventory. This allows the full capabilities of MCNP to be incorporated into the calculation and a more accurate and robust analysis to be performed. Validation of BUCAL1 was processed by code-to-code comparisons using predictions of several codes from the NEA/OCED. Infinite multiplication factors (k ∞ ) and important fission product and actinide concentrations were compared for a MOX core benchmark exercise. Results of calculations are analysed and discussed.

  5. Evaluation of burnup characteristics and energy deposition during NSRR pulse irradiation tests on irradiated BWR fuels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Takehiko; Yoshinaga, Makio

    2000-11-01

    Pulse irradiation tests of irradiated fuel are performed in the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (NSRR) to investigate the fuel behavior under Reactivity Initiated Accident Conditions (RIA). The severity of the RIA is represented by energy deposition or peak fuel enthalpy during the power excursion. In case of the irradiated fuel tests, the energy deposition varies depending both on the amounts and distribution of residual fissile and neutron absorbing fission products generated during the base irradiation. Thus, proper fuel burnup characterization, especially for low enriched commercial fuels, is important, because plutonium (Pu) takes a large part of fissile and its generation depends on the neutron spectrum during the base irradiation. Fuel burnup calculations were conducted with ORIGEN2, RODBURN and SWAT codes for the BWR fuels tested in the NSRR. The calculation results were compared with the measured isotope concentrations and used for the NSRR neutron calculations to evaluate energy depositions of the test fuel. The comparison of the code calculations and the measurements revealed that the neutron spectrum change due to difference in void fraction altered Pu generation and energy deposition in the NSRR tests considerably. With the properly evaluated neutron spectrum, the combined burnup and NSRR neutron calculation gave reasonably good evaluation of the energy deposition. The calculations provided radial distributions of the fission product accumulation during the base irradiation and power distribution during the NSRR pulse irradiation, which were important for the evaluation of both burnup characteristics and fission gas release behavior. (author)

  6. Current and prospective fuel test programmes in the MIR reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Izhutov, A.L.; Burukin, A.V.; Iljenko, S.A.; Ovchinnikov, V.A.; Shulimov, V.N.; Smirnov, V.P. [State Scientific Centre of Russia Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, Ulyanovsk region (Russian Federation)

    2007-07-01

    MIR reactor is a heterogeneous thermal reactor with a moderator and a reflector made of metal beryllium, it has a channel-type design and is placed in a water pool. MIR reactor is mainly designed for testing fragments of fuel elements and fuel assemblies (FA) of different nuclear power reactor types under normal (stationary and transient) operating conditions as well as emergency situations. At present six test loop facilities are being operated (2 PWR loops, 2 BWR loops and 2 steam coolant loops). The majority of current fuel tests is conducted for improving and upgrading the Russian PWR fuel, these tests involve issues such as: -) long term tests of short-size rods with different modifications of cladding materials and fuel pellets; -) further irradiation of power plant re-fabricated and full-size fuel rods up to achieving 80 MW*d/kg U; -) experiments with leaking fuel rods at different burnups and under transient conditions; -) continuation of the RAMP type experiments at high burnup of fuel; and -) in-pile tests with simulation of LOCA and RIA type accidents. Testing of the LEU (low enrichment uranium) research reactor fuel is conducted within the framework of the RERTR programme. Upgrading of the gas cooled and steam cooled loop facilities is scheduled for testing the HTGR fuel and sub-critical water-cooled reactor, correspondingly. The present paper describes the major programs of the WWER high burn-up fuel behavior study in the MIR reactor, capabilities of the applied techniques and some results of the performed irradiation tests. (authors)

  7. Burnup credit study and application in spent fuel management in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruan Keqiang; Xue Xiaogang; Shen Leisheng

    2001-01-01

    This paper gives a brief of spent fuel situation of nuclear power plants in China, problems faced with, and measures to be taken. The main research items in this field in next five years are introduced. It is imperative to put burnup credit to use in spent fuel storage, transport and reprocessing. (author)

  8. Post irradiation examination on test fuel pins for PWR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fogaca Filho, N.; Ambrozio Filho, F.

    1981-01-01

    Certain aspects of irradiation technology on test fuel pins for PWR, are studied. The results of post irradiation tests, performed on test fuel pins in hot cells, are presented. The results of the tests permit an evaluation of the effects of irradiation on the fuel and cladding of the pin. (Author) [pt

  9. Fission gas release from UO2 pellet fuel at high burn-up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitanza, C.; Kolstad, E.; Graziani, U.

    1979-01-01

    Analysis of in-reactor measurements of fuel center temperature and rod internal pressure at the OECD Halden Reactor Project has led to the development of an empirical fission gas release model, which is described. The model originally derived from data obtained in the low and intermediate burn-up range, appears to give good predictions for rods irradiated to high exposures as well. PIE puncturing data from seven fuel rods, operated at relatively constant powers and peak center temperatures between 1900 and 2000 0 C up to approx. 40,000 MWd/t UO 2 , did not exhibit any burn-up enhancement on the fission gas release rate

  10. Flowchart evaluations of irradiated fuel treatment process of low burnup thorium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linardi, M.

    1987-01-01

    A literature survey has been carried out, on some versions of the acid-thorex process. Flowsheets of the different parts of the process were evaluated with mixer-settlers experiments. A low burnup thorium fuel (mass ratio Th/U∼100/1), proposed for Brazilian fast breeder reactor initial program, was considered. The behaviour of some fission products was studied by irradiated tracers techniques. Modifications in some of the process parameters were necessary to achieve low losses of 233 U and 232 U and 232 Th. A modified acid-thorex process flowsheet, evaluated in a complete operational cycle, for the treatment of low burnup thorium fuels, is presented. High decontamination factors of thorium in uranium, with reasonable decontamination of uranium in thorium, were achieved. (author) [pt

  11. Power ramp testing method for PWR fuel rod at research reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Yidong; Zhang Peisheng; Zhang Aimin; Gao Yongguang; Wang Huarong

    2003-01-01

    A tentative power ramp test for short PWR fuel rod has been conducted at the Heavy Water Research Reactor (HWRR) in China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). The test fuel rod was cooled by the circulating water in the test loop. The power ramp was realized by moving solid neutron-absorbing screen around the fuel rod. The linear power of the fuel rod increased from 220 W/cm to 340 W/cm with a power ramp rate of 20 W/cm/min. The power of the fuel rod was monitored by both in-core thermal and nuclear measurement sensors in the test rig. This test provides experiences for further developing the power ramp test methods for PWR fuel rods at research reactor. (author)

  12. In-core fuel management activities in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruan Keqiang; Chen Renji; Hu Chuanwen

    1990-01-01

    The development of nuclear power in China has reached such a stage that PWR in-core fuel management becomes an urgent problem. At present the main effort is concentrated on solving the Qinshan nuclear power plant and Daya Bay nuclear power plant fuel management problems. For the Qinshan PWR (300 MWe) two packages of in-core fuel management code were developed, one with simplified nodal diffusion method and the other uses advanced Green's function nodal method. Both were used in the PWR core design. With the help of the two code packages first two cycles of the Qinshan PWR core burn-up were calculated. Besides, several research works are under way in the following areas: improvement of the nodal diffusion method and other coarse mesh method in terms of computing speed and accuracy; backward diffusion technique for fuel management application; optimization technique in the fuel loading pattern searching. As for the Daya Bay PWR plant (twin 900 MWe unit), the problem about using what kind of code package for in-core fuel management is still under discussion. In principle the above mentioned code packages are also applicable to it. Besides PWR, in-core fuel management research works are also under way for research reactors, for example, heavy water research reactor and high flux research reactor in some institutes in China. China also takes active participation in international in-core fuel management activities. (author). 19 refs

  13. Design and fuel management of PWR cores to optimize the once-through fuel cycle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, E.K.; Driscoll, M.J.; Lanning, D.D.

    1978-08-01

    The once-through fuel cycle has been analyzed to see if there are substantial prospects for improved uranium ore utilization in current light water reactors, with a specific focus on pressurized water reactors. The types of changes which have been examined are: (1) re-optimization of fuel pin diameter and lattice pitch, (2) axial power shaping by enrichment gradation in fresh fuel, (3) use of 6-batch cores with semi-annual refueling, (4) use of 6-batch cores with annual refueling, hence greater extended (approximately doubled) burnup, (5) use of radial reflector assemblies, (6) use of internally heterogeneous cores (simple seed/blanket configurations), (7) use of power/temperature coastdown at the end of life to extend burnup, (8) use of metal or diluted oxide fuel, (9) use of thorium, and (10) use of isotopically separated low sigma/sub a/ cladding material. State-of-the-art LWR computational methods, LEOPARD/PDQ-7/FLARE-G, were used to investigate these modifications

  14. Influence of graphite discs, chamfers, and plenums on temperature distributions in high burnup fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranger, A.; Tayal, M.; Singh, P.

    1990-04-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated the desirability to increase the fuel burnups in CANDU reactors from 7-9 GW.d/t to 21 GW.d/t. At high burnups, one consideration in fuel integrity is fission gas pressure, which is predicted to reach about 13 MPa. The gas pressure can be kept below the coolant pressure (about 10 MPa) via a variety of options such as bigger chamfers, deeper dishes, central hole, and plenums. However, it is important to address the temperature perturbations produced by the bigger chamfers and plenums which in turn, affect the gas pressure. Another consideration in fuel integrity is to reduce the likelihood of fuel failures via environmentally assisted cracking. Insertion of graphite discs between neighbouring pellets will lower the pellet temperatures, hence, lower fission gas release and lower expansion of the pellet. Therefore, it is desired to quantify the effect of graphite discs on pellet temperatures. Thermal analyses of different fuel element geometries: with and without chamfers, graphite discs, and plenums were performed. The results indicate that the two-dimensional distributions of temperatures due to the presence of chamfers, graphite discs, or plenums can have a significant impact on the integrity of high burnup fuel as we have been able to quantify in this paper

  15. Automatic determination of pressurized water reactor core loading patterns that maximize beginning-of-cycle reactivity within power-peaking and burnup constraints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hobson, G.H.; Turinsky, P.J.

    1986-01-01

    Computational capability has been developed to automatically determine a good estimate of the core loading pattern, which minimizes fuel cycle costs for a pressurized water reactor (PWR). Equating fuel cycle cost minimization with core reactivity maximization, the objective is to determine the loading pattern that maximizes core reactivity while satisfying power peaking, discharge burnup, and other constraints. The method utilizes a two-dimensional, coarse-mesh, finite difference scheme to evaluate core reactivity and fluxes for an initial reference loading pattern. First-order perturbation theory is applied to determine the effects of assembly shuffling on reactivity, power distribution, end-of-cycle burnup. Monte Carlo integer programming is then used to determine a near-optimal loading pattern within a range of loading patterns near the reference pattern. The process then repeats with the new loading pattern as the reference loading pattern and terminates when no better loading pattern can be determined. The process was applied with both reactivity maximization and radial power-peaking minimization as objectives. Results on a typical large PWR indicate that the cost of obtaining an 8% improvement in radial power-peaking margin is ≅2% in fuel cycle costs, for the reload core loaded without burnable poisons that was studied

  16. Nuclear fuel burnup calculation in a Voronezh type reactor; Analiza izgaranja nuklearnog goriva u reaktoru tipa Voronjez

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matausek, M; Marinkovic, N; Kocic, A [Boris Kidric Institute of nuclear sciences, Vinca, Belgrade (Yugoslavia)

    1977-07-01

    In order to summarize and present our abilities to perform a complex computation of the nuclear fuel burn-up, a systematic review of the available methods, algorithms and computer programmes is given in this paper. The computer programmes quoted have all been developed, modified and tested in our department, so that they can be successfully used in the analysis of nuclear power plants from both physics and economic points of view. For a commercially proven nuclear reactor - reactor of the Voronezh type - an illustrative computation of the fuel burn-up is performed. The typical results are presented and discussed. The conclusion concerns the completion of a modular scheme for the fuel burn-up calculation and the fuel cycle analysis (author)

  17. Impacts of burnup-dependent swelling of metallic fuel on the performance of a compact breed-and-burn fast reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartanto, Donny; Heo, Woong; Kim, Chi Hyung; Kim, Yong Hee [Dept. of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-04-15

    The U-Zr or U-TRU-Zr cylindrical metallic fuel slug used in fast reactors is known to swell significantly and to grow during irradiation. In neutronics simulations of metallic-fueled fast reactors, it is assumed that the slug has swollen and contacted cladding, and the bonding sodium has been removed from the fuel region. In this research, a realistic burnup-dependent fuel-swelling simulation was performed using Monte Carlo code McCARD for a single-batch compact sodium-cooled breed-and-burn reactor by considering the fuel-swelling behavior reported from the irradiation test results in EBR-II. The impacts of the realistic burnup-dependent fuel swelling are identified in terms of the reactor neutronics performance, such as core lifetime, conversion ratio, axial power distribution, and local burnup distributions. It was found that axial fuel growth significantly deteriorated the neutron economy of a breed-and-burn reactor and consequently impaired its neutronics performance. The bonding sodium also impaired neutron economy, because it stayed longer in the blanket region until the fuel slug reached 2% burnup.

  18. Steady State and Transient Fuel Rod Performance Analyses by Pad and Transuranus Codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slyeptsov, O.; Slyeptsov, S.; Kulish, G.; Ostapov, A.; Chernov, I.

    2013-01-01

    The report performed under IAEA research contract No.15370/L2 describes the analysis results of WWER and PWR fuel rod performance at steady state operation and transients by means of PAD and TRANSURANUS codes. The code TRANSURANUS v1m1j09 developed by Institute for of Transuranium Elements (ITU) was used based on the Licensing Agreement N31302. The code PAD 4.0 developed by Westinghouse Electric Company was utilized in the frame of the Ukraine Nuclear Fuel Qualification Project for safety substantiation for the use of Westinghouse fuel assemblies in the mixed core of WWER-1000 reactor. The experimental data for the Russian fuel rod behavior obtained during the steady-state operation in the WWER-440 core of reactor Kola-3 and during the power transients in the core of MIR research reactor were taken from the IFPE database of the OECD/NEA and utilized for assessing the codes themselves during simulation of such properties as fuel burnup, fuel centerline temperature (FCT), fuel swelling, cladding strain, fission gas release (FGR) and rod internal pressure (RIP) in the rod burnup range of (41 - 60) GWD/MTU. The experimental data of fuel behavior at steady-state operation during seven reactor cycles presented by AREVA for the standard PWR fuel rod design were used to examine the code FGR model in the fuel burnup range of (37 - 81) GWD/MTU. (author)

  19. Burn-up credit applications for UO2 and MOX fuel assemblies in AREVA/COGEMA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toubon, H.; Riffard, C.; Batifol, M.; Pelletier, S.

    2003-01-01

    For the last seven years, AREVA/COGEMA has been implementing the second phase of its burn-up credit program (the incorporation of fission products). Since the early nineties, major actinides have been taken into account in criticality analyses first for reprocessing applications, then for transport and storage of fuel assemblies Next year (2004) COGEMA will take into account the six main fission products (Rh103, Cs133, Nd143, Sm149, Sm152 and Gd155) that make up 50% of the anti-reactivity of all fission products. The experimental program will soon be finished. The new burn-up credit methodology is in progress. After a brief overview of BUC R and D program and COGEMA's application of the BUC, this paper will focus on the new burn-up measurement for UO2 and MOX fuel assemblies. It details the measurement instrumentation and the measurement experiments on MOX fuels performed at La Hague in January 2003. (author)

  20. Preliminary study of the economics of enriching PWR fuel with a fusion hybrid reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelly, J.L.

    1978-09-01

    This study is a comparison of the economics of enriching uranium oxide for pressurized water reactor (PWR) power plant fuel using a fusion hybrid reactor versus the present isotopic enrichment process. The conclusion is that privately owned hybrid fusion reactors, which simultaneously produce electrical power and enrich fuel, are competitive with the gaseous diffusion enrichment process if spent PWR fuel rods are reenriched without refabrication. Analysis of irradiation damage effects should be performed to determine if the fuel rod cladding can withstand the additional irradiation in the hybrid and second PWR power cycle. The cost competitiveness shown by this initial study clearly justifies further investigations

  1. Advances in applications of burnup credit to enhance spent fuel transportation, storage, reprocessing and disposition. Proceedings of a technical meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-05-01

    Given a trend towards higher burnup power reactor fuel, the IAEA began an active programme in burnup credit (BUC) with major meetings in 1997 (IAEA-TECDOC-1013), 2000 (IAEA-TECDOC-1241) and 2002 (IAEA-TECDOC-1378) exploring worldwide interest in using BUC in spent fuel management systems. This publication contains the proceedings of the IAEA's 4th major BUC meeting, held in London. Sixty participants from 18 countries addressed calculation methodology, validation and criticality, safety criteria, procedural compliance with safety criteria, benefits of BUC applications, and regulatory aspects in BUC. This meeting encouraged the IAEA to continue its activities on burnup credit including dissemination of related information, given the number of Member States having to deal with increased spent fuel quantities and extended durations. A 5th major meeting on burnup credit is planned 2008. Burnup credit is a concept that takes credit for the reduced reactivity of fuel discharged from the reactor to improve loading density of irradiated fuel assemblies in storage, transportation, and disposal applications, relative to the assumption of fresh fuel nuclide inventories in loading calculations. This report has described a general four phase approach to be considered in burnup credit implementation. Much if not all of the background research and data acquisition necessary for successful burnup credit development in preparation for licensing has been completed. Many fuel types, facilities, and analysis methods are encompassed in the public knowledge base, such that in many cases this guidance will provide a means for rapid development of a burnup credit program. For newer assembly designs, higher enrichment fuels, and more extensive nuclide credit, additional research and development may be necessary, but even this work can build on the foundation that has been established to date. Those, it is hoped that this report will serve as a starting point with sufficient reference to

  2. A validated methodology for evaluating burnup credit in spent fuel casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady, M.C.; Sanders, T.L.

    1991-01-01

    The concept of allowing reactivity credit for the transmuted state of spent fuel offers both economic and risk incentives. This paper presents a general overview of the technical work being performed in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) program to resolve issues related to the implementation of burnup credit. An analysis methodology is presented along with information representing the validation of the method against available experimental data. The experimental data that are applicable to burnup credit include chemical assay data for the validation of the isotopic prediction models, fresh fuel critical experiments for the validation of criticality calculations for various casks geometries, and reactor restart critical data to validate criticality calculations with spent fuel. The methodology has been specifically developed to be simple and generally applicable, therefore giving rise to uncertainties or sensitivities which are identified and quantified in terms of a percent bias in k eff . Implementation issues affecting licensing requirements and operational procedures are discussed briefly

  3. A validated methodology for evaluating burnup credit in spent fuel casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady, M.C.; Sanders, T.L.

    1991-01-01

    The concept of allowing reactivity credit for the transmuted state of spent fuel offers both economic and risk incentives. This paper presents a general overview of the technical work being performed in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program to resolve issues related to the implementation of burnup credit. An analysis methodology is presented along with information representing the validation of the method against available experimental data. The experimental data that are applicable to burnup credit include chemical assay data for the validation of the isotopic prediction models, fresh fuel critical experiments for the validation of criticality calculations for various cask geometries, and reactor restart critical data to validate criticality calculations with spent fuel. The methodology has been specifically developed to be simple and generally applicable, therefore giving rise to uncertainties or sensitivities which are identified and quantified in terms of a percent bias in k eff . Implementation issues affecting licensing requirements and operational procedures are discussed briefly. (Author)

  4. A validated methodology for evaluating burnup credit in spent fuel casks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brady, M.C.; Sanders, T.L.

    1991-01-01

    The concept of allowing reactivity credit for the transmuted state of spent fuel offers both economic and risk incentives. This paper presents a general overview of the technical work being performed in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) program to resolve issues related to the implementation of burnup credit. An analysis methodology is presented along with information representing the validation of the method against available experimental data. The experimental data that are applicable to burnup credit include chemical assay data for the validation of the isotopic prediction models, fresh fuel critical experiments for the validation of criticality calculations for various cask geometries, and reactor restart critical data to validate criticality calculations with spent fuel. The methodology has been specifically developed to be simple and generally applicable, therefore giving rise to uncertainties or sensitivities which are identified and quantified in terms of a percent bias in k eff . Implementation issues affecting licensing requirements and operational procedures are discussed briefly. 24 refs., 3 tabs

  5. Advanced CANDU reactors fuel analysis through optimal fuel management at approach to refuelling equilibrium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tingle, C.P.; Bonin, H.W.

    1999-01-01

    The analysis of alternate CANDU fuels along with natural uranium-based fuel was carried out from the view point of optimal in-core fuel management at approach to refuelling equilibrium. The alternate fuels considered in the present work include thorium containing oxide mixtures (MOX), plutonium-based MOX, and Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) spent fuel recycled in CANDU reactors (Direct Use of spent PWR fuel in CANDU (DUPIC)); these are compared with the usual natural UO 2 fuel. The focus of the study is on the 'Approach to Refuelling Equilibrium' period which immediately follows the initial commissioning of the reactor. The in-core fuel management problem for this period is treated as an optimization problem in which the objective function is the refuelling frequency to be minimized by adjusting the following decision variables: the channel to be refuelled next, the time of the refuelling and the number of fresh fuel bundles to be inserted in the channel. Several constraints are also included in the optimisation problem which is solved using Perturbation Theory. Both the present 37-rod CANDU fuel bundle and the proposed CANFLEX bundle designs are part of this study. The results include the time to reach refuelling equilibrium from initial start-up of the reactor, the average discharge burnup, the average refuelling frequency and the average channel and bundle powers relative to natural UO 2 . The model was initially tested and the average discharge burnup for natural UO 2 came within 2% of the industry accepted 199 MWh/kgHE. For this type of fuel, the optimization exercise predicted the savings of 43 bundles per full power year. In addition to producing average discharge burnups and other parameters for the advanced fuels investigated, the optimisation model also evidenced some problem areas like high power densities for fuels such as the DUPIC. Perturbation Theory has proven itself to be an accurate and valuable optimization tool in predicting the time between

  6. About a fuel for burnup reactor of periodical pulsed nuclear pumped laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Volkov, A.I.; Lukin, A.V.; Magda, L.E.; Magda, E.P.; Pogrebov, I.S.; Putnikov, I.S.; Khmelnitsky, D.V.; Scherbakov, A.P.

    1998-01-01

    A physical scheme of burnup reactor for a Periodic Pulsed Nuclear Pumped Laser was supposed. Calculations of its neutron physical parameters were made. The general layout and construction of basic elements of the reactor are discussed. The requirements for the fuel and fuel elements are established. (author)

  7. Improvements for Monte Carlo burnup calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shenglong, Q.; Dong, Y.; Danrong, S.; Wei, L., E-mail: qiangshenglong@tsinghua.org.cn, E-mail: d.yao@npic.ac.cn, E-mail: songdr@npic.ac.cn, E-mail: luwei@npic.ac.cn [Nuclear Power Inst. of China, Cheng Du, Si Chuan (China)

    2015-07-01

    Monte Carlo burnup calculation is development trend of reactor physics, there would be a lot of work to be done for engineering applications. Based on Monte Carlo burnup code MOI, non-fuel burnup calculation methods and critical search suggestions will be mentioned in this paper. For non-fuel burnup, mixed burnup mode will improve the accuracy of burnup calculation and efficiency. For critical search of control rod position, a new method called ABN based on ABA which used by MC21 will be proposed for the first time in this paper. (author)

  8. Modelling of high burnup structure in UO2 fuel with the RTOP code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Likhanskii, V.; Zborovskii, V.; Evdokimov, I.; Kanyukova, V.; Sorokin, A.

    2008-01-01

    The present work deals with self-consistent physical approach aimed to derive the criterion of fuel restructuring avoiding correlations. The approach is based on study of large over pressurized bubbles formation on dislocations, at grain boundaries and in grain volume. At first, stage of formation of bubbles non-destroyable by fission fragments is examined using consistent modelling of point defects and fission gas behavior near dislocation and in grain volume. Then, evolution of formed large non-destroyable bubbles is considered using results of the previous step as initial values. Finally, condition of dislocation loops punching by sufficiently large over pressurized bubbles is regarded as the criterion of fuel restructuring onset. In the present work consideration of large over pressurized bubbles evolution is applied to modelling of the restructuring threshold depending on temperature, burnup and grain size. Effect of grain size predicted by the model is in qualitative agreement with experimental observations. Restructuring threshold criterion as an analytical function of local burnup and fuel temperature is derived and compared with HBRP project data. To predict rim-layer width formation depending on fuel burnup and irradiation conditions the model is implemented into the mechanistic fuel performance code RTOP. Calculated dependencies give upper estimate for the width of restructured region. Calculations show that one needs to consider temperature distribution within pellet which depends on irradiation history in order to model rim-structure formation

  9. Control in fabrication of PWR and BWR type reactor fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorskij, V.V.

    1981-01-01

    Both destructive and non-destructive testing methods now in use in fabrication of BWR and PWR type reactor fuel elements at foreign plants are reviewed. Technological procedures applied in fabrication of fuel elements and fuel assemblies are described. Major attention is paid to radiographic, ultrasonic, metallographic, visual and autoclavic testings. A correspondence of the methods applied to the ASTM standards is discussed. The most part of the countries are concluded the apply similar testing methods enabling one to reliably evaluate the quality of primary materials and fabricated fuel elements and thus meeting the demands to contemporary PWR and BWR type reactor fuel elements. Practically all fuel element and pipe fabrication plants in Western Europe, Asia and America use the ASTM standards as the basis for the quality contr [ru

  10. The development of flow test technology for PWR fuel assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Moon Ki; Cha, Chong Hee; Chung, Chang Hwan; Chun, Se Young; Song, Chul Hwa; Chung, Heung Joon; Won, Soon Yeun; Cho, Yeong Rho; Kim, Bok Deuk

    1988-05-01

    KAERI has an extensive program to develope PWR fuel assembly. In relation to the program, development of flow test technology is needed to evaluate the thermal hydraulic compactibility and mechanical integrity of domestically fabricated nuclear fuels. A high-pressure and high-temperature flow test facility was designed to test domestically fabricated fuel assembly. The test section of the facility has capacity of a 6x6 full length PWR fuel assembly. A flow test rig was designed and installed at Cold Test Loop to carry out model experiments with 5x5 rod assembly under atmosphere pressure to get information about the characteristics of pressure loss of spacer grids and velocity distribution in the subchannels. LDV measuring technology was established using TSI's Laser Dopper Velocimeter 9100-3 System

  11. MELCOR Modeling of Air-Cooled PWR Spent Fuel Assemblies in Water empty Fuel Pools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herranz, L. E.; Lopez, C.

    2013-07-01

    The OECD Spent Fuel Project (SFP) investigated fuel degradation in case of a complete Loss-Of- Coolant-Accident in a PWR spent fuel pool. Analyses of the SFP PWR ignition tests have been conducted with the 1.86.YT.3084.SFP MELCOR version developed by SNL. The main emphasis has been placed on assessing the MELCOR predictive capability to get reasonable estimates of time-to-ignition and fire front propagation under two configurations: hot neighbor (i.e., adiabatic scenario) and cold neighbor (i.e., heat transfer to adjacent fuel assemblies). A detailed description of hypotheses and approximations adopted in the MELCOR model are provided in the paper. MELCOR results accuracy was notably different between both scenarios. The reasons are highlighted in the paper and based on the results understanding a set of remarks concerning scenarios modeling is given.

  12. Nuclear Energy Research Initiative. Development of a Stabilized Light Water Reactor Fuel Matrix for Extended Burnup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    BD Hanson; J Abrefah; SC Marschman; SG Prussin

    2000-01-01

    The main objective of this project is to develop an advanced fuel matrix capable of achieving extended burnup while improving safety margins and reliability for present operations. In the course of this project, the authors improve understanding of the mechanism for high burnup structure (HBS) formation and attempt to design a fuel to minimize its formation. The use of soluble dopants in the UO 2 matrix to stabilize the matrix and minimize fuel-side corrosion of the cladding is the main focus

  13. Further developments of PWR and BWR fuel elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sofer, G.A.; Busselman, G.J.; Federico, L.J.

    1988-01-01

    The performance, safety, and economy of nuclear power plants in inluenced very decisively by the quality of their fuel elements. This is why quality assurance in fuel fabrication has been a factor of great importance from the outset. Operating experince and more stringent performance requirements have resulted in a continuous process of further development of fuel elements, which has been reflected also in lower and lower failure rates and increasingly higher burn-ups. Next to further development also innovation has been an important factor contributing to the present high quality level of fuel elements, which also has allowed fuel cycle costs to be decreased quite considerably. (orig.) [de

  14. A proposal for a unified fuel thermal conductivity model available for UO{sub 2}, (U-Pu)O{sub 2} and UO{sub 2}-GD{sub 2}O{sub 3} PWR fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baron, D [Electrice de France, Moret-sur-Loing (France); Couty, J C [Electricite de France (EDF), 69 - Villeurbanne (France)

    1997-08-01

    In order to cope with the current fuel management targets which are focussed on higher discharge burnups, initial {sup 235}U fuel enrichments have been increased from 3.25% to 4%. To avoid an increase in boron concentration in the primary circuit, Gadolinium is used as a burnable poison, spread in the uranium oxide matrix of selected rods, in order to absorb the initial reactivity excess. Obviously, fuel thermal conductivity is affected when introducing any stranger element. Previously, the EDF thermomechanical code provided two different models to simulate the fuel thermal conductivity: one available for UO{sub 2} and (U-Pu)O{sub 2} fuels, the other for Gadolinia fuels, depending on the calculations to be done. No effect of the initial fuel stoichiometry was taken into account in the second model. That situation suggested the development of a unified model available for any fuels presently loaded in the EDF PWR reactors. This paper deals with the choice of the formulation, the data base used and the methodology applied for parameter fitting. Results in terms of measured versus predicted evaluation are then discussed. (author). 11 refs, 5 figs.

  15. Estimation of the impact of manufacturing tolerances on burn-up calculations using Monte Carlo techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bock, M.; Wagner, M. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH, Garching (Germany). Forschungszentrum

    2012-11-01

    In recent years, the availability of computing resources has increased enormously. There are two ways to take advantage of this increase in analyses in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle, such as burn-up calculations or criticality safety calculations. The first possible way is to improve the accuracy of the models that are analyzed. For burn-up calculations this means, that the goal to model and to calculate the burn-up of a full reactor core is getting more and more into reach. The second way to utilize the resources is to run state-of-the-art programs with simplified models several times, but with varied input parameters. This second way opens the applicability of the assessment of uncertainties and sensitivities based on the Monte Carlo method for fields of research that rely heavily on either high CPU usage or high memory consumption. In the context of the nuclear fuel cycle, applications that belong to these types of demanding analyses are again burn-up and criticality safety calculations. The assessment of uncertainties in burn-up analyses can complement traditional analysis techniques such as best estimate or bounding case analyses and can support the safety analysis in future design decisions, e.g. by analyzing the uncertainty of the decay heat power of the nuclear inventory stored in the spent fuel pool of a nuclear power plant. This contribution concentrates on the uncertainty analysis in burn-up calculations of PWR fuel assemblies. The uncertainties in the results arise from the variation of the input parameters. In this case, the focus is on the one hand on the variation of manufacturing tolerances that are present in the different production stages of the fuel assemblies. On the other hand, uncertainties that describe the conditions during the reactor operation are taken into account. They also affect the results of burn-up calculations. In order to perform uncertainty analyses in burn-up calculations, GRS has improved the capabilities of its general

  16. Quantitative analysis technique for Xenon in PWR spent fuel by using WDS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, H. M.; Kim, D. S.; Seo, H. S.; Ju, J. S.; Jang, J. N.; Yang, Y. S.; Park, S. D. [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    This study includes three processes. First, a peak centering of the X-ray line was performed after a diffraction for Xenon La1 line was installed. Xe La1 peak was identified by a PWR spent fuel sample. Second, standard intensities of Xe was obtained by interpolation of the La1 intensities from a series of elements on each side of xenon. And then Xe intensities across the radial direction of a PWR spent fuel sample were measured by WDS-SEM. Third, the electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program to do matrix correction of a PWR spent fuel sample. Finally, the method and the procedure for local quantitative analysis of Xenon was developed in this study.

  17. Quantitative analysis technique for Xenon in PWR spent fuel by using WDS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, H. M.; Kim, D. S.; Seo, H. S.; Ju, J. S.; Jang, J. N.; Yang, Y. S.; Park, S. D.

    2012-01-01

    This study includes three processes. First, a peak centering of the X-ray line was performed after a diffraction for Xenon La1 line was installed. Xe La1 peak was identified by a PWR spent fuel sample. Second, standard intensities of Xe was obtained by interpolation of the La1 intensities from a series of elements on each side of xenon. And then Xe intensities across the radial direction of a PWR spent fuel sample were measured by WDS-SEM. Third, the electron and X-ray depth distributions for a quantitative electron probe micro analysis were simulated by the CASINO Monte Carlo program to do matrix correction of a PWR spent fuel sample. Finally, the method and the procedure for local quantitative analysis of Xenon was developed in this study

  18. Modeling fission gas release in high burnup ThO2-UO2 fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Long, Y.; Yuan, Y.; Pilat, E.E.; Rim, C.S.; Kazimi, M.S.

    2001-01-01

    A preliminary fission gas release model to predict the performance of thoria fuel using the FRAPCON-3 computer code package has been formulated. The following modeling changes have been made in the code: - Radial power/burnup distribution; - Thermal conductivity and thermal expansion; - Rim porosity and fuel density; - Diffusion coefficient of fission gas in ThO 2 -UO 2 fuel and low temperature fission gas release model. Due to its lower epithermal resonance absorption, thoria fuel experiences a much flatter distribution of radial fissile products and radial power distribution during operation as compared to uranian fuel. The rim effect and its consequences in thoria fuel, therefore, are expected to occur only at relatively high burnup levels. The enhanced conductivity is evident for ThO 2 , but for a mixture the thermal conductivity enhancement is small. The lower thermal fuel expansion tends to negate these small advantages. With the modifications above, the new version of FRAPCON-3 matched the measured fission gas release data reasonably well using the ANS 5.4 fission gas release model. (authors)

  19. Advances in fuel pellet technology for improved performance at high burnup. Proceedings of a Technical Committee meeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1998-08-01

    The IAEA has recently completed two co-ordinated Research Programmes (CRPs) on The Development of Computer Models for Fuel Element Behaviour in Water Reactors, and on Fuel Modelling at Extended Burnup. Through these CRPs it became evident that there was a need to obtain data on fuel behaviour at high burnup. Data related o thermal behaviour, fission gas release and pellet to clad mechanical interaction were obtained and presented at the Technical Committee Meeting on Advances in Fuel Pellet Technology for Improved Performance at High Burnup which was recommended by the International Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology (IWGFPT). The 34 papers from 10 countries are published in this proceedings and presented by a separate abstract. The papers were grouped in 6 sessions. First two sessions covered the fabrication of both UO 2 fuel and additives and MOX fuel. Sessions 3 and 4 covered the thermal behaviour of both types of fuel. The remaining two sessions dealt with fission gas release and the mechanical aspects of pellet to clad interaction

  20. Micrographic study on distribution of fission products in high burn-up metallic alloy fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolay, S.; Basu, M.; Das, D.

    2012-01-01

    One of the important mandates in the three-stage nuclear power generation programme of India is to utilize uranium-plutonium based alloy fuels in enabling shorter doubling time for breeding of the fissile isotopes ( 239 Pu and 233 U ) to be used in thorium based driver fuel in the third stage. Reported information shows the successful performance of alloy fuel with somewhat porous matrix in achieving 10-15 atom% burnup. The porosity and microstructure of these alloys are strongly dependent on their composition and phases present. Porosity also influences the extent of fuel swelling and gas release. So to assess fuel performance and fuel integrity under high burn-up condition it is essential to have knowledge about the new phases formed and their redistribution that occurs as a result of inter-diffusion and temperature gradient. This study addresses these issues taking the base alloy U-10 wt %Zr