A Model of the Nitride Fuel Pellet – Cladding Axial Interaction in a Fast Reactor Due to Jamming
12/20/2024 2024 - #04 Modelling processes at nuclear facilities
Folomeev V.I. Ganina S.M. Isakov A.G. Zabudko L.M. Marinenko E.E.
https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.4.14
UDC: 621.039.534
In the process of a post-irradiation examination of nitride fuel pins irradiated as part of experimental BN-600 reactor assemblies a noticeable elongation and a higher ovality of nitride fuel pins cladding were observed as compared with oxide fuel pins. The analysis results suggest that this takes place due to a local mechanical effect fuel pellets have on the cladding. The potential cause for the fuel-cladding thermomechanical interaction is the fuel pellet misalignment, the pellet jamming and cracking as a result of thermal stresses in conditions of the reactor rise to power, and subsequent jamming of large fuel fragments in the cladding.
The paper presents the fuel jamming model which assumes the fuel-cladding interaction via an axial force in each calculated radial layer. The axial force is determined from the condition of equilibrium in the radial cladding and fuel cross-section and ensures that the jamming condition (the same growth in axial deformation) is complied with. Jamming is assumed along the entire core height in the presented model version.
The presented results of the jamming model verification, based on the BN-600 EFA-11 experimental fuel assembly post-irradiation examination results, show that the model allows simulating the fuel pin cladding elongation. The experimental EFA-11 fuel assembly with fuel pins of the BREST-OD-300 reactor type with the cladding of EP823-Sh ferrite-martensitic steel and nitride uranium-plutonium fuel was irradiated in the BN-600 reactor to the maximum burnup of 9 at.% and the maximum damage dose of 107.6 dpa.
References
- Grachev A.F., Zabudko L.M., Glushenkov A.E., Ivanov Y.A., Kireev G.A., Skupov M.V., Gilmutdinov I.F., Grin P.I., Zvir E.A., Kryukov F.N., Nikitin O.N. Investigations of mixed uranium-plutonium nitride fuel in project Breakthrough. Atomic energy. 2017, vol. 122, no. 3, pp. 185 – 199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-017-0254-8
- Kryukov F.N., Belyaeva A.V., Skupov M.V., Zabudko L.M., Mochalov Yu.S. Results of post-irradiation examinations of mixed nitride pins with gas and liquid metal sub-layers. Nuclear Engineering and Design. 2021, vol. 384, 111463. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111463
- Zabudko L.M., Grachev A.F., Zherebtsov A.A., Lachkanov E.V., Mochalov Yu.S., Skupov M.V., Ivanov Yu.A., Kryukov F.N., Zvir E.A. Status on performance study of mixed nitride fuel pins of BREST reactor type. Nuclear Engineering and Design. 2021, vol. 384, 111430. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2021.111430
- Kerrisk F., Barner J.O., Petty R.L. Cladding ovalities in advanced liquid-metal fast breeder reactor fuel elements. Nuclear Technology. 1976, vol. 39, pp. 361 – 375. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A31650
- Tanaka K., Maeda K., Katsuyama K., Inoue M., Iwai T., Arai Y. Fission gas release and swelling in uranium-plutonium mixed nitride fuels. J. Nucl. Mater. 2004, vol. 327, no. 1, pp. 77 – 87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2004.01.002
- Fromont M., Lamontagne J., Asou M., Aubrun I. Behaviour of Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Nitride and Carbide Irradiated in Phenix. Proceedings of GLOBAL-2005, October 9 – 13, 2005, Tsukuba, Japan, #329.
- Likhachev Yu.I., Popov V.V., Nikolaev V.A., Khmelevski M.Ya., Kalinin V.V., Filippov V.N. Shell elongation of RBMK fuel element under cyclic power changes. Atomic energy, 1981, vol. 51, no. 6, p. 760 – 766. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01121675
- Tutnov A.A., Ylyanov A.I. Power-reactor fuel-pin thermomechanics. Atomic energy. 1987, vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 377 – 384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01125193
- Likhachev Yu.I., Pupko V.Ya. Strength of Reactor Fuel Elements. Moscow, Atomizdat Publ., 1975, 278 p. (in Russian).
- Ganina S.M., Folomeev V.I., Marinenko E.E., Zabudko L.M. Problems of Calculation Modelling of Nitride Fuel Performance: DRAKON Code / International Conference on Fast Reactors and Related Fuel Cycles: Next Generation Nuclear Systems for Sustainable Development (FR17), (Proc. Int. Conf., Yekaterinburg, 2017). IAEA, Vienna, 2018. Paper IAEA-CN245-063. URL: https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/49/085/49085765.pdf?r=1 (accessed Jun. 10, 2024).
- Ganina S.M., Zabudko L.M., Marinenko E.E., Folomeev V.I. A Method to Calculate the Stress-Strain State of a Cylinder Using Quadratic Radius Functions for Approximation of Stress and Displacement Rates. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2023, no. 1, pp. 121 – 131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2023.1.10 (in Russian)
- Timoshenko S.P. Sthrength of Materials. Part II. Advanced Theory and Problems. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1965, 480 p. (in Russian).
- Lurie A.I. Theory of elasticity. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1970, 939 p.
- Adamov E.O., Grachev A.F., Zabudko L.M., Lachkanov E.V., Mochalov Yu.S., Beljaeva A.V., Kryukov F.N., Ivanov Yu.A., Skupov M.V., Marinenko E.E., Porollo S.I. Key Outcomes of Comprehensive Computational and Experimental Validation of Fuel Rods with Mixed Uranium-Plutonium Nitride Fuel for the BN-1200 and Brest Reactors. Atomic energy. 2022, vol. 131, no. 5, pp. 268 – 273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10512-022-00877-1
mixed nitride uranium-plutonium fuel jamming fuel pin fuel pellet post-irradiation examination (PIE) elongation stress-strain state (SSS) model verification
Link for citing the article: Folomeev V.I., Ganina S.M., Isakov A.G., Zabudko L.M., Marinenko E.E. A Model of the Nitride Fuel Pellet – Cladding Axial Interaction in a Fast Reactor Due to Jamming. Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika. 2024, no. 4, pp. 168-179; DOI: https://doi.org/10.26583/npe.2024.4.14 (in Russian).