• 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.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.294-299
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• 1994

Margin benefits are quantatively assessed when a Digital Monitoring System(DMS) is assumed to be installed to an operating Westinghouse analog type plant. Applied plant and cycle is YongGwang Unit 1 Cycle 6. The referenced digital monitoring system is the COLSS (Core Operating Limit Supervisory System) of ABB-CE. Considered fuel design limits are DNBR and LDCA Fq. 2003-D Power distributions within the present CAOC (Constant Axial Offset Control) limits are calculated for the analysis. The most limiting DNB prevention event of CEA Withdrawal is analyzed with the ROPM (Required OverPower Margin) concept of ABB-CE. The result show that the DMS can bring around 7% more margins for both DNB and LOCA Fq standpoints of view. The DMS can also monitor the PCI (Pellet-Cladding Interaction) limits.