Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika

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

Interaction of Substitutional and Interstitial Atoms with each other, and with Radiation Defects in Alloys V−Fе under Irradiation with Fast Neutrons

6/05/2024 2024 - #02 Modelling processes at nuclear facilities

Folomeev V.I. Ganina S.M. Astakhova N.E.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.2.16

UDC: 621.039.534:541.15

There is a substantial amount of experimental data that confirm the peculiarity of the oxide fuel behavior during the first hours after a reactor reaches its power. With an increase in temperature during said period, oxide fuel pellets crack because of a significant temperature gradient. Further developments occur due to the accumulation and redistribution of fission products, and manifest as changes to the fuel matrix porosity and the formation (or diameter increase) of a central hole. The zones that differ in their microstructure, density and thermal conductivity are formed along a fuel pellet radius. As the oxide fuel composition and restructuring result in its thermal conductivity change it’s important to pay attention to the formulas used in the stress-strain state calculations of a fuel element.

The methodology for calculating changes in oxide fuel porosity and a pellet’s internal diameter is proposed and based on the published research papers dedicated to the study of oxide fuel properties and behaviour during the first hours after a reactor reaches its power. Тhe methodology was tested using real experimental data on porosity redistribution along a fuel pellet radius.

A presence and a size of the pellet’s inner hole, as well as changes to the fuel matrix porosity, have a noticeable effect on the maximum temperature value. Taking into account a pellet structure evolution while performing computational modelling of fuel rods operation under irradiation allows assessing the fuel element’s operability more accurately.

The proposed methodology can be used in computer codes designed to calculate the stress-strain state of cylindrical fuel elements of fast reactors.

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oxide fuel porosity restructuring fuel pin fuel pellet experimental data stress-strain states (SSS) for fuel rods

Link for citing the article: Folomeev V.I., Ganina S.M., Astakhova N.E. Interaction of Substitutional and Interstitial Atoms with each other, and with Radiation Defects in Alloys V−Fе under Irradiation with Fast Neutrons. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2024, no. 2, pp. 202-212; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.2.16 (in Russian).

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