A generalized failure map for fuel elements subject to a power pulse

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and design Vol. 241; no. 3; pp. 590 - 598
• Main Authors: Luxat, John C., Novog, David R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2011
• Subjects: Criteria; Failure; Failure modes; Fuels; Mathematical analysis; Nuclear engineering; Nuclear power generation; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear research reactors
• ISSN: 0029-5493
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nucengdes.2010.07.032

▶ Review of large international database of RIA tests on different reactor fuel types. ▶ Analysis of fuel failure modes using analytical methods based upon fundamental phenomenology. ▶ Derivation of a fuel failure map based upon width of power pulse and increase in fuel enthalpy. ▶ Demonstration that some failure modes are strongly governed by the characteristics of the test reactor power pulse and are conservative with respect to typical power reactors. This paper reviews the various power pulse tests that have been conducted in research reactors over the past three decades and summarizes the dominant fuel failure modes that that have been observed in these tests. A map of failure limits for Zircaloy-clad uranium dioxide fuel is developed using physically based analytical models. This failure map is used to assess the experimental data from the power pulse tests. It is shown that the fuel failure map provides a good basis for establishing criteria that demarcate the observed fuel failure modes for the various fuel designs that have been used in these tests.