An approach for evaluating fuel system applied in innovative nuclear energy system

作者：Nakae Nobuo^*; Ozawa Takayuki; Ohta Hirokazu; Ogata Takanari; Sekimoto Hiroshi

来源：Progress in Nuclear Energy, 2011, 53(7): 1039-1044.

DOI：10.1016/j.pnucene.2011.04.021

• INES
• Fuel failure mode
• Fuel lifetime limit
• Target dose
• Cladding material characteristics

One of the important issues in the study of Innovative Nuclear Energy Systems (INES) is the integrity of the fuel system applied. An approach of evaluating fuel system integrity is discussed here based on the procedure currently used in the integrity evaluation of fast reactor fuel. The fuel failure modes controlling fuel life were reviewed and fuel integrity was analyzed and compared with the failure criteria.
Metal and nitride fuels with austenitic and ferritic cladding tubes were examined in this study. For the purpose of representative irradiation behavior analyses of the fuel for INES, the correlations of the cladding characteristics were modeled based on well-known characteristics of austenitic modified 316 SS (PNC316), ferritic-martensitic steel (PNC-FMS) and oxide dispersion strengthen steel (PNC-ODS).
The analytical result showed that fuel lifetime is limited by channel fracture which is a nonductile type (brittle) failure associated with a high level of irradiation-induced swelling in the case of austenitic steel cladding. In the case of ferritic steel, on the other hand, the fuel life is controlled by cladding creep rupture. The lifetime evaluated here is no more than 200 GWd/t, which is still lower than the target value 400 GWd/t burnup. Possible measures to extend metal fuel lifetime may be reducing fuel smear density and ventilating fission gas in the plenum.

• 出版日期2011-9