• Title/Summary/Keyword: Fuel Irradiation Test

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Improved evaluation of ring tensile test ductility applied to neutron irradiated 42XNM tubes in the temperature range of (500-1100)℃

  • Gurovich, B.A.;Frolov, A.S.;Fedotov, I.V.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.52 no.6
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    • pp.1213-1221
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    • 2020
  • Chromium-nickel alloy 42XNM (XHM-1, Bochvalloy) is considered as a promising material for future generations of nuclear reactors, primarily as a material for the fuel elements shells in the development of accident tolerant fuel. However, as with most nickel-based alloys, 42ХNМ is characterized by a sharp decrease in plastic properties in the temperature range of (500-900)℃. This effect is enhanced by neutron irradiation. Preliminary tests of ring samples of 42XNM alloy (after irradiation as a part of the VVER-1000 control system) in the temperature range of ductility failure showed that the standard technique for processing tensile diagrams does not allow to evaluate the plastic properties correctly at low strains. Therefore, in this work, the alternative method for testing ring samples from materials with low plastic characteristics was developed. It was shown that the minimum value of the permanent strain of the irradiated 42XNM alloy in the temperature range of (500-1100)℃, determined by the alternative method, was ~1.6% at 750 ℃.

1D AND 3D ANALYSES OF THE ZY2 SCIP BWR RAMP TESTS WITH THE FUEL CODES METEOR AND ALCYONE

  • Sercombe, J.;Agard, M.;Struzik, C.;Michel, B.;Thouvenin, G.;Poussard, C.;Kallstrom, K.R.
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.41 no.2
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    • pp.187-198
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    • 2009
  • In this paper, three power ramp tests performed on high burn-up Re-crystallized Zircaloy2 - UO2 BWR fuel rods (56 to 63 MWd/kgU) within the SCIP project are simulated with METEOR and ALCYONE 3D. Two of the ramp tests are of staircase type up to Linear Heat Rates of 420 and 520 W/cm and with long holding periods. Failure of the 420 W/cm fuel rod was observed after 40 minutes. The third ramp test consisted of a more standard ramp test with a constant power rate of 80 W/cm/min up to 410 W/cm with a short holding time. The tests were first simulated with the METEOR 1D fuel rod code, which gave accurate results in terms of profilometry and fission gas releases. The behaviour of a fuel pellet fragment and of the cladding piece on top of it was then investigated with ALCYONE 3D. The size and the main characteristics of the ridges after base irradiation and power ramp testing were recovered. Finally, the failure criteria validated for PWR conditions and fuel rods with low-to-medium burn-ups were used to analyze the failure probability of the KKL rodlets during ramp testing.

The Assembly and Test of Pressure Vessel for Irradiation (조사시험용 압력용기의 조립 및 시험)

  • Park, Kook-Nam;Lee, Jong-Min;Youn, Young-Jung;June, Hyung-Kil;Ahn, Sung-Ho;Lee, Kee-Hong;Kim, Young-Ki;Kennedy, Timothy C.
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.179-184
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    • 2009
  • The Fuel Test Loop(FTL) which is capable of an irradiation testing under a similar operating condition to those of PWR(Pressurized Water Reactor) and CANDU(CANadian Deuterium Uranium reactor) nuclear power plants has been developed and installed in HANARO, KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). It consists of In-Pile Section(IPS) and Out-of Pile System(OPS). The IPS, which is located inside the pool is divided into 3-parts; the in-pool pipes, the IVA(IPS Vessel Assembly) and the support structures. The test fuel is loaded inside a double wall, inner pressure vessel and outer pressure vessel, to keep the functionality of the reactor coolant pressure boundary. The IVA is manufactured by local company and the functional test and verification were done through pressure drop, vibration, hydraulic and leakage tests. The brazing technique for the instrument lines has been checked for its functionality and performance. An IVA has been manufactured by local technique and have finally tested under high temperature and high pressure. The IVA and piping did not experience leakage, as we have checked the piping, flanges, assembly parts. We have obtained good data during the three cycle test which includes a pressure test, pressure and temperature cycling, and constant temperature.

Reliability Evaluation of ACP Component under a Radiation Environment (방사선환경에서 ACP 주요부품의 신뢰도 평가)

  • Lee, Hyo-Jik;Yoon, Kwang-Ho;Lim, Kwang-Mook;Park, Byung-Suk;Yoon, Ji-Sup
    • Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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    • v.5 no.4
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    • pp.309-322
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    • 2007
  • This study deals with the irradiation effects on some selected components which are being used in an Advanced Spent Fuel Conditioning Process (ACP). Irradiation test components have a higher priority from the aspect of their reliability because their degradation or failure is able to critically affect the performance of an ACP equipment. Components that we chose for the irradiation tests were the AC servo motor, potentiometer, thermocouples, accelerometer and CCD camera. ACP facility has a number of AC servo motors to move the joints of a manipulator and to operate process equipment. Potentiometers are used for a measurement of several joint angles in a manipulator. Thermocouples are used for a temperature measurement in an electrolytic reduction reactor, a vol-oxidation reactor and a molten salt transfer line. An accelerometer is installed in a slitting machine to forecast an incipient failure during a slitting process. A small CCD camera is used for an in-situ vision monitoring between ACP campaigns. We made use of a gamma-irradiation facility with cobalt-60 source for an irradiation test on the above components because gamma rays from among various radioactive rays are the most significant for electric, electronic and robotic components. Irradiation tests were carried out for enough long time for total doses to be over expected threshold values. Other components except the CCD camera showed a very high radiation hardening characteristic. Characteristic changes at different total doses were investigated and threshold values to warrant at least their performance without a deterioration were evaluated as a result of the irradiation tests.

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Metal Fuel Development and Verification for Prototype Generation IV Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor

  • Lee, Chan Bock;Cheon, Jin Sik;Kim, Sung Ho;Park, Jeong-Yong;Joo, Hyung-Kook
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.48 no.5
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    • pp.1096-1108
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    • 2016
  • Metal fuel is being developed for the prototype generation-IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) to be built by 2028. U-Zr fuel is a driver for the initial core of the PGSFR, and U-transuranics (TRU)-Zr fuel will gradually replace U-Zr fuel through its qualification in the PGSFR. Based on the vast worldwide experiences of U-Zr fuel, work on U-Zr fuel is focused on fuel design, fabrication of fuel components, and fuel verification tests. U-TRU-Zr fuel uses TRU recovered through pyroelectrochemical processing of spent PWR (pressurized water reactor) fuels, which contains highly radioactive minor actinides and chemically active lanthanide or rare earth elements as carryover impurities. An advanced fuel slug casting system, which can prevent vaporization of volatile elements through a control of the atmospheric pressure of the casting chamber and also deal with chemically active lanthanide elements using protective coatings in the casting crucible, was developed. Fuel cladding of the ferritic-martensitic steel FC92, which has higher mechanical strength at a high temperature than conventional HT9 cladding, was developed and fabricated, and is being irradiated in the fast reactor.