Project description
-
The project falls under the Euratom research and training programme in the field of nuclear energy.
Call identifiers: NE-Fission Third Call, Key Action 2: Nuclear Fission
Contract number: FIKS-CT2001-00141
Project duration: 36 months
Objectives
- improved understanding and modeling of fission gas behaviour in MOX
- validation of a (Th,Pu)O2 module in LWR fuel codes.
Milestones
- fuel rod design and incorporation of (Th,Pu)O2 in fuel performance codes
- fabricating & characterising UO2, (U,Pu)O2, (Th,Pu)O2 of special microstructure
- history of temperature and pressure evolution under PWR irradiation conditions
- code benchmarking using both in-pile & out-of-pile non-destructive test results
Abstract
-
This project will study and model the influence of microstructure and matrix composition on oxide fuel behaviour in normal LWR operating conditions. The emphasis will ly on temperature and fission gas release which will be both monitored on-line. A matrix of six instrumented fuel rod segments will be irradiated under representative PWR conditions. The test matrix consists of three different fuel compositions (UO2, (U,Pu)O2 and (Th,Pu)O2), each with two microstructures (homogeneous and fine dispersed ceramic-in-ceramic). The experiment will provide unique information about the separate effects of chemical composition and microstructure on fission gas release. Extensive theoretical work will be performed to incorporate the different fuel types in existing thermo-mechanical codes and the experimental results of the in-pile and out-of-pile measurements will serve as the basis for code benchmarking and model development.
Return to Top |
