Pellet-clad interaction in water reactor fuels : seminar proceedings, Aix-en-Provence, France, 9-11 March 2004

536 Pages·2005·13.293 MB·English

by  OECD

Nuclear Science
P
ellet-clad Interaction
in Water Reactor Fuels
Seminar Proceedings
Aix-en-Provence, France
9-11 March 2004
N U C L E A R • E N E R G Y • A G E N C Y
Nuclear Science

Pellet-clad Interaction in Water Reactor Fuels

Seminar Proceedings
Aix-en-Provence, France
9-11 March 2004

Hosted by
CEA Cadarache/DEN/DEC

In co-operation with
EDF, COGEMA, FRAMATOME ANP, IAEA

© OECD 2005
NEA No. 6004

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FOREWORD
Once the fuel-clad gap has closed in light water reactors – one to three years after commencing
irradiation – the compressive stress experienced by the cladding and due to the primary fluid pressure
is reversed to a tensile stress induced by continued fuel swelling. Enhanced clad stress is likely to
occur in the region of the pellets’ ends, especially when the fuel rod is submitted to power ramps,
e.g. in relation with incidental transients in the operation of the reactor. In the presence of aggressive
fission products released by the pellets, this situation can lead to stress-corrosion-induced failures
resulting in primary water contamination. This risk is an important industrial challenge; it must be
demonstrated that margins are guaranteed for the different current situations and the various classes of
transients encountered in reactor operation. Hence, the justification for the development of so-called
PCI-resistant fuel products.
Pellet-clad interaction (PCI) is clearly one of the important topics with considerable industrial
issues requiring further investigation to achieve a higher availability and competitiveness of nuclear
power, and possibly leading to new fuel products and qualification programmes. The R&D on the very
complex and non-linear, thermal, mechanical, chemical phenomena requires the best equipments and
relevant experiments are worthwhile pursuing.
A need was identified by experts to address this topic and to carry out further assessments and
required investigations. To this purpose, the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA) Direction de
l’Énergie Nucléaire (DEN) agreed to organise a seminar on this subject from 9-11 March 2004 at
Aix-en-Provence, France, in co-operation with the Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This is the third in a series of three seminars that began with a seminar on Thermal Performance in
Light Water (High Burn-up) Fuels held in Cadarache, France on 3-6 March 1998, followed by a second
on Fission Gas Behaviour in Water Reactor Fuels, also held at Cadarache on 26-29 September 2000.
The aim of this third seminar was to draw a comprehensive picture of our current understanding
of pellet-clad interaction and its impact on the fuel rod under the widest possible conditions, and to
review recent advances in this area from both the experimental and modelling points of view.
Among the papers proposed, 36 were accepted for presentation plus one invited paper concerning
RIA conditions. The seminar was attended by 140 participants from 20 countries representing
46 different organisations, including research laboratories, fuel vendors, NPP operators, nuclear safety
institutions and consultancy firms.
The current proceedings provide a summary of the result of the seminar together with the text of
the presentations made. The views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily correspond
to those of the national authorities concerned.
3
Programme Committee
Philippe Martin (Chairman, Scientific Secretary)
Sylvie Lansiart, Thierry Forgeron, Clément Lemaignan, Claude Sainte-Catherine
CEA, France
Jean Christophe Couty, Stéphane Béguin, Jean Christophe Couty
EDF, France
Louis-Christian Bernard
FRAMATOME ANP, France
Wolfgang Wiesenack
Halden Reactor Project, Norway
J. Anthony Turnbull
Consultant, UK
Klaus Lassmann
ITU, Germany
Vladimir Onoufriev
IAEA, Vienna
Mukesh Tayal
AECL, Canada
Katsuichiro Kamimura
NUPEC, Japan
Ian Palmer
BNFL, UK
Gunnar Lysell
Studsvik, Sweden
Ake Nordstroem
PSI, Switzerland
Suresh Yagnik
EPRI, USA
Michel Billaux
Areva, USA
Enrico Sartori
OECD/NEA
4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword............................................................................................................................................ 3
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................ 9
Session Summaries................................................................................................... 13
Seminar Programme................................................................................................. 25
SESSION I Opening and Industrial Goals............................................................................... 29
Chair: P. Martin
S.K. Yagnik, D.J. Sunderland, B.C. Cheng
Effect of PWR Re-start Ramp Rate on Pellet-cladding Interactions........................ 31
M. Billaux, H. Moon
Pellet-cladding Mechanical Interaction in Boiling Water Reactors.......................... 43
S. Béguin
PCI-related Constraints on EDF PWRs and Associated Challenges........................ 53
P. Van Uffelen, K. Lassmann, A. Schubert,
J. van de Laar, Cs. Györi, D. Elenkov, B. Hatala
Review of Operational Requirements with Respect to PCMI in a VVER
and the Corresponding Developments in the TRANSURANUS Code.................... 63
C. Vitanza, J.M. Conde Lopez
PCMI Implications for High Burn-up Light Water Reactor Fuel
in Reactivity-initiated Accidents.............................................................................. 79
SESSION II Fuel Material Behaviour in PCI Situation (Part 1)............................................. 105
Chairs: P. Blanpain, D. Baron
V.V. Likhanskii, O.V. Khoruzhii, A.A. Sorokin
Physical Model Development for Prediction of Rim-layer
Formation in UO Fuel............................................................................................. 107
2
S.K. Yagnik, J.A. Turnbull, R.A. Gomme
Microstructure Investigations of As-irradiated, Annealed and
Power Ramped High Burn-up Fuel.......................................................................... 123
H-J. Ryu, K-H. Kang, C-J. Park, J-W. Park, K-C. Song, M-S. Yang
Effect of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of the DUPIC Fuel
on the Pellet-cladding Mechanical Interaction......................................................... 143
5
L. Caillot, C. Nonon, V. Basini
Out-of-pile and In-pile Viscoplastic Behaviour of Mixed-oxide Fuels.................... 153
D. Baron, D. Laux, G. Despaux
Mechanical Characterisation of Irradiated Fuel Materials with Local
Ultrasonic Methods................................................................................................... 169
Fuel Material Behaviour in PCI Situation (Part 2)............................................. 183
Chairs: M. Billaux, Y. Guérin
V.I. Arimescu
Fuel Swelling Importance in PCI Mechanistic Modelling....................................... 185
J-S. Cheon, Y-H. Koo, B-H. Lee, J-Y. Oh, D-S. Sohn
Modelling of a Pellet-clad Mechanical Interaction in LWR Fuel
by Considering Gaseous Swelling............................................................................ 191
R.J. White
The Reduction of Fission Gas Swelling Through Irradiation-induced
Re-solution................................................................................................................ 203
P. Van Uffelen, M. Sheindlin, V. Rondinella, C. Ronchi
On the Relations Between the Fission Gas Behaviour and the
Pellet-cladding Mechanical Interaction in LWR Fuel Rods..................................... 213
SESSION III Cladding Behaviour Relevant to PCI.................................................................... 229
Chairs: S.K. Yagnik, C. Lemaignan
A.V. Smirnov, B.A. Kanashov, D.V. Markov,
V.A. Ovchinikov, V.S. Polenok, A.A. Ivashchenko
Pellet-cladding Interaction in VVER Fuel Rods....................................................... 231
L. Desgranges, B. Pasquet, X. Pujol, I. Roure, Th. Blay,
J. Lamontagne, Th. Martella, B. Lacroix, O. Comiti, L. Caillot
Characterisation of Volatile Fission Products, Including Iodine,
After a Power Ramp................................................................................................. 241
D. Le Boulch, L. Fournier, C. Sainte-Catherine
Testing and Modelling Iodine-induced Stress Corrosion Cracking
in Stress-relieved Zircaloy-4..................................................................................... 253
S. Van den Berghe, A. Leenaers, B. Vos, L. Sannen, M. Verwerft
Observation of a Pellet-cladding Bonding Layer in High-power Fuel..................... 265
G. Lysell, K. Kitano, D. Schrire, J-E. Lindbäck
Cladding Liner Surface Effects and PCI................................................................... 273
6
SESSION IV In-pile Rod Behaviour............................................................................................ 279
Chairs: W. Wiesenack, S. Lansiart
A.V. Bouroukine, G.D. Lyadov, S.V. Lobin, V.A. Ovchinikov,
V.V. Novikov, A.V. Medvedev, B.I. Nesterov
Results of WWER High Burn-up Fuel Rod Examinations in the
Process of and After Their Testing in the MIR Reactor Under
Power Cycling Conditions........................................................................................ 281
M. Barker, P. Cook, R. Weston, G. Dassel,
C. Ott, R. Stratton, D. Papaioannou, C. Walker
Ramp Testing of SBR MOX Fuel............................................................................. 291
C. Nonon, J-C. Menard, S. Lansiart, J. Noirot, S. Martin,
G-M. Decroix, O. Rabouille, C. Delafoy, B. Petitprez
PCI Behaviour of Chromium Oxide-doped Fuel...................................................... 305
W. Wiesenack, T. Tverberg
PCMI of High Burn-up Fuel as Manifested by Different Types
of Instrumentation and Measurements in the Halden Reactor
Experimental Programme......................................................................................... 321
C. Mougel, B. Verhaeghe, C. Verdeau, S. Lansiart, S. Béguin, B. Julien
Power Ramping in the OSIRIS Reactor: Database Analysis for
Standard UO Fuel with Zy-4 Cladding.................................................................... 333
2
J.C. Killeen, E. Sartori, J.A. Turnbull
Experimental Data on PCI and PCMI Within the IFPE Database............................ 347
SESSION V Modelling of the Mechanical Interaction Between
Pellet and Cladding (Part 1).................................................................................. 365
Chairs: P. Garcia, P. Van Uffelen
T. Helfer, P. Garcia, F. Sidoroff, J-M. Ricaud, D. Plancq,
C. Struzik, L. Bernard
Modelling the Effect of Oxide Fuel Fracturing on the Mechanical
Behaviour of Fuel Rods............................................................................................ 367
A.C. Marino
Crack and Dishing Evolution Models and PCI-SCC Considerations for
Fuel Pellets in a Quasi-bi-dimensional Environment............................................... 379
S. Roussette, J-M. Gatt, J-C. Michel
Non-linear Behaviour of Multi-phase MOX Fuels: A Micromechanical
Approach................................................................................................................... 399
R. Montgomery, J. Rashid, R. Dunham, O. Ozer, S.K. Yagnik, R. Yang
The Mechanical Response of Cladding with a Hydride Lens Under
PCMI Loading Conditions........................................................................................ 413
Y-M. Kim, Y-S. Yang, C-B. Lee, D-H. Kim, Y-H. Jung
Assessment of Cladding Relaxation and PCMI Models in INFRA.......................... 425
7
Modelling of the Mechanical Interaction Between
Pellet and Cladding (Part 2).................................................................................. 439
Chairs: J.A. Turnbull, N. Waeckel
M. Valach, J. Zymák
Two-dimensional (2-D) Pellet-cladding Modelling Using FEM
at NRI Rez plc.......................................................................................................... 441
V. Guicheret-Retel, F. Trivaudey, M.L. Boubakar, R. Masson, Ph. Thevenin
Modelling 3-D Mechanical Phenomena in a 1-D Industrial Finite
Element Code: Results and Perspectives.................................................................. 453
C. Garnier, P. Mailhe, P. Vesco, L.C. Bernard, C. Delafoy, P. Garcia
The COPERNIC Mechanical Model and its Application to Doped Fuel................. 465
V. Novikov, A. Medvedev, G. Khvostov, S. Bogatyr, V. Kuznetsov, L. Korystin
Modelling of Thermal Mechanical Behaviour of High Burn-up
VVER Fuel at Power Transients with Special Emphasis on the
Impact of Fission Gas Induced Swelling of Fuel Pellets.......................................... 477
F. Bentejac, N. Hourdequin
TOUTATIS: An Application of the Cast3M Finite Element Code for
PCI Three-dimensional Modelling........................................................................... 495
C. Struzik, D. Plancq, B. Michel, P. Garcia, C. Nonon
Methodology for Multi-dimensional Simulation of Power Ramp Tests................... 507
G. Zhou, J.E. Lindbäck, H.C. Schutte, L.O. Jernkvist, A.R. Massih
Modelling of Pellet-clad Interaction During Power Ramps..................................... 519
List of Participants.............................................................................................................................. 531
8
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
This was the third in a series of three seminars that began with the seminar on “Thermal
Performance of High Burn-up LWR Fuel” held at Cadarache, France, on 3-6 of March 1998, followed
by that of “Fission Gas Behaviour in Water Reactor Fuels”, which also took place at Cadarache, from
26-29 September 2000.
The aim of this third seminar was to draw a comprehensive picture of our current understanding
of pellet-clad interaction and its impact on the fuel rod, under the widest possible conditions.
Pellet-clad interaction
In PWRs and BWRs, once the fuel-clad gap has closed, one to three years after irradiation started
(depending on the materials), the compressive stress experienced by the cladding and due to the
primary fluid pressure is reversed to a tensile stress induced by continued fuel swelling.
Enhanced clad stress is likely to occur in the region of the pellets’ ends, especially when the fuel
rod is submitted to power ramps, in relation for instance with incidental transients in the operation of
the reactor.
In the presence of aggressive fission products (e.g. iodine typically) released by the pellets, this
situation can lead to stress corrosion induced failures resulting in primary water contamination.
This risk is an important industrial challenge to demonstrate that margins are guaranteed for the
different current situations and for classes of transients encountered in reactors operation, and justifies
the development of so-called PCI-resistant fuel products.
Fuel and pellet behaviour mechanisms activated in PCI situations
The behaviour of pellets in the interaction depends on many mechanisms potentially activated
prior to, or during PCI, namely:
(cid:1) Densification/solid fission products and gaseous swelling under irradiation.
(cid:1) Release of fission gases and volatile species.
(cid:1) Evolution of thermal conductivity, elasticity constants, thermal and irradiation creep,
temperature-induced or microstructure-induced phenomena (porosities, re-crystallisation).
(cid:1) Geometry of the pellets and their modifications by cracking.
9