Determination of Experimental Fuel Rod Parameters Using 3D Modelling of PCMI with MPS Defect

Download or read book Determination of Experimental Fuel Rod Parameters Using 3D Modelling of PCMI with MPS Defect written by and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-reactor experiment is being designed in order to validate the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) behavior of the BISON fuel performance code. The experimental parameters for the test rod being placed in the Halden Research Reactor are being determined using BISON simulations. The 3D model includes a missing pellet surface (MPS) defect to generate large local cladding deformations, which should be measureable after typical burnup times. The BISON fuel performance code is being developed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and is built on the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework. BISON supports both 2D and 3D finite elements and solves the fully coupled equations for solid mechanics, heat conduction and species diffusion. A number of fuel performance effects are included using models for swelling, densification, creep, relocation and fission gas production & release. In addition, the mechanical and thermal contact between the fuel and cladding is explicitly modelled using a master-slave based contact algorithm. In order to accurately predict PCMI effects, the BISON code includes the relevant physics involved and provides a scalable and robust solution procedure. The depth of the proposed MPS defect is being varied in the BISON model to establish an optimum value for the experiment. The experiment will be interrupted approximately every 6 months to measure cladding radial deformation and provide data to validate BISON. The complete rodlet (~20 discrete pellets) is being simulated using a 180° half symmetry 3D model with MPS defects at two axial locations. In addition, annular pellets will be used at the top and bottom of the pellet stack to allow thermocouples within the rod to measure the fuel centerline temperature. Simulation results will be presented to illustrate the expected PCMI behavior and support the chosen experimental design parameters.