Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

The peer-reviewed scientific and technology journal. ISSN: 0204-3327

Development of a Method for Nondestructive Control of the Helium Concentration in Fuel Elements for Advanced Nuclear Power Plants

6/22/2023 2023 - #02 Global safety, reliability and diagnostics of nuclear power installations

Dvornikov P.A. Kovtun S.N. Kudryaev A.A. Shutov S.S. Shutov P.S. Budarin A.A. Lukyanov D.A. Krasnikov Yu.V. Stepanov A.M. Starodubtsev A.V. Gorbachev M.K. Ilyashik M.I. Nikulin A.S. Dunaev V.I.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2023.2.06

UDC: 621.039.546

The paper analyzes recent studies on the application of a nondestructive thermal method for monitoring the helium concentration in fuel elements of advanced reactors, which use fuel elements beneath the cladding of which there is helium under atmospheric pressure. The results are presented from the studies for determining the optimal position of the helium concentration control point in the gas cavity of different fuel element types: for fuel elements with free gas cavities and for fuel elements with gas cavities with support. The fuel cladding maximum heating value is used as the informative feature in measuring the fuel element helium concentration. It has been found experimentally that the functional relationship between the helium concentration in the fuel element and the maximum heating value of the fuel element mockup cladding has a linear form. Using a thermal method to control the fuel element helium concentration allows reducing the element fabrication costs, and also contributes to improving the operating safety of advanced nuclear power plants.

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helium concentration control fuel element thermal method temperature gas cavity maximum heating of fuel cladding random component of measurement error nuclear power plants

Link for citing the article: Dvornikov P.A., Kovtun S.N., Kudryaev A.A., Shutov S.S., Shutov P.S., Budarin A.A., Lukyanov D.A., Krasnikov Yu.V., Stepanov A.M., Starodubtsev A.V., Gorbachev M.K., Ilyashik M.I., Nikulin A.S., Dunaev V.I. Development of a Method for Nondestructive Control of the Helium Concentration in Fuel Elements for Advanced Nuclear Power Plants. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2023, no. 2, pp. 69-80; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2023.2.06 (in Russian).

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