水堆燃料元件性能分析及程序FROBA开发

在详细分析芯块和包壳的辐照行为的基础上,开发了燃料元件性能分析程序FROBA,并对燃料元件的热工-机械-材料特性进行模拟分析,计算得到不同燃耗深度下燃料元件的温度、应变特性。通过与美国爱达荷国家实验室的软件计算结果进行对比,验证本工作开发程序的准确性。结果表明:在芯块和包壳接触前,芯块温度先上升,密实化消失后温度逐渐下降;接触后芯块温度会再次上升。     

事故容错燃料安全性能初步分析

事故容错燃料（ATF）是通过提高燃料材料热物性或包壳材料抗高温氧化性能来加强核燃料的事故容错能力,从而使核燃料能长期忍受严重事故。使用二次开发适用于ATF的RELAP5程序,对UO₂-FeCrAl、FCM-FeCrAl这两种ATF和传统核燃料UO₂-Zir-4进行大破口失水事故安全分析。对比事故分析结果可知：相较于传统UO₂芯块,稳态运行工况下,热导率高的FCM芯块具有更低的燃料中心温度和更小的燃料径向温度梯度,同时在瞬态事故工况下,FCM芯块具有更低的瞬态初始温度和更小的燃料温度增长速率。相较于传统Zir-4包壳,在瞬态事故工况下,FeCrAl的包壳峰值温度更小,达到的时间更晚,同时由于FeCrAl包壳具有良好的抗高温氧化性能,事故过程中产生的氢气质量更小。     

FeCrAl包壳燃料棒辐照行为研究

铁素体FeCrAl不锈钢具有成为耐事故燃料包壳材料的潜在价值。通过FeCrAl包壳燃料棒堆内性能的初步分析,评估FeCrAl包壳的堆内性能,并对FeCrAl包壳后续的研发及应用提出建议。使用FUPAC程序对FeCrAl包壳燃料棒的堆内稳态辐照行为进行了初步研究。分析结果表明,FeCrAl包壳燃料棒的温度、内压、应力应变均低于设计限值。     

事故容错燃料安全性能初步分析

事故容错燃料(ATF)是通过提高燃料材料热物性或包壳材料抗高温氧化性能来加强核燃料的事故容错能力,从而使核燃料能长期忍受严重事故。使用二次开发适用于ATF的RELAP5程序,对UO_2-FeCrAl、FCM-FeCrAl这两种ATF和传统核燃料UO_2-Zir-4进行大破口失水事故安全分析。对比事故分析结果可知:相较于传统UO_2芯块,稳态运行工况下,热导率高的FCM芯块具有更低的燃料中心温度和更小的燃料径向温度梯度,同时在瞬态事故工况下,FCM芯块具有更低的瞬态初始温度和更小的燃料温度增长速率。相较于传统Zir-4包壳,在瞬态事故工况下,FeCrAl的包壳峰值温度更小,达到的时间更晚,同时由于FeCrAl包壳具有良好的抗高温氧化性能,事故过程中产生的氢气质量更小。     

高燃耗下快堆燃料与包壳的化学相互作用模型建立及验证

快中子反应堆二氧化铀燃料元件在高燃耗、高中子注量率、高线功率和高温状况下运行,燃料与包壳材料会发生复杂的物理化学相互作用。燃料元件化学相互作用模型的建立对高燃耗快堆燃料元件的设计非常重要。针对快中子反应堆氧化物燃料元件与包壳材料发生的化学相互作用,采用动力学模型建立了二氧化铀与奥氏体不锈钢、铁素体-马氏体钢包壳材料的化学相互作用模型,并通过实验数据验证该模型。结果表明：建立的快堆二氧化铀燃料与奥氏体不锈钢的腐蚀模型可以成功预测最大燃耗10.8at%、辐照损伤87.5 dpa的包壳腐蚀;建立的快堆二氧化铀燃料与铁马钢的腐蚀模型可以成功预测最大燃耗9.3at%、辐照损伤76.6 dpa的包壳腐蚀。研究结果为高燃耗二氧化铀辐照元件及示范快堆燃料元件的设计和性能预测提供重要的参考价值。     

发生落棒事故时的PCI研究

当反应堆发生落棒事故时,燃料芯块与包壳的相互作用瞬间增强,易造成燃料棒破损,从而影响核电站的正常运行.本文介绍了反应堆Ⅱ类瞬态下燃料棒芯块与包壳相互作用的机理和定量分析方法,并针对大亚湾核电站18个月换料的燃料管理方案进行了发生落棒事故时的PCI热力学评价.初步的研究结果表明:如果在自然循环长度和延伸燃耗运行期内发生落棒事故,对于基负荷运行和基负荷一次调频运行,均有PCI的应力裕量,不会造成燃料棒破损.     

U-10Mo/Zr单片式燃料元件堆内稳态热-力学性能研究

本文建立了U-10Mo/Zr单片式燃料元件的辐照性能模型以及热-力学本构关系,采用有限元方法进行非均匀辐照场中燃料元件稳态热-力学性能的数值模拟,获得并分析了U-10Mo/Zr单片式燃料元件温度、形变和应力的分布特点及变化规律。研究结果表明,燃料芯体厚度增量在芯体和包壳结合面附近达到最大,主要受到燃料辐照蠕变的影响;在较低燃耗条件下,燃料芯体高温辐照肿胀模拟结果与低温辐照肿胀试验结果相当;燃料芯体边角区域和包壳端面外侧区域存在应力集中。      

UN燃料性能数值分析

UN燃料具有高热导率和高铀密度等优点,有利于改善芯块传热能力和提高铀装量。基于目前国内外试验所获得的UN燃料物性数据和辐照行为模型,对FUPAC程序进行了二次开发,并对UN燃料应用于压水堆正常运行工况下的燃料性能进行分析。结果表明:压水堆正常运行工况下,UN燃料在芯块温度、裂变气体释放、燃料棒内压、包壳应变等方面具备良好性能。     

基于流固热耦合的燃料元件包壳结构完整性分析

反应堆系统发生瞬态工况时,冷却剂温度的瞬间大幅度变化会对燃料元件包壳结构完整性造成冲击,危及反应堆安全。本文以某压水堆3×3燃料组件为对象,采用流固热耦合方法对冷水事故下燃料组件的流动换热特性和燃料元件包壳温度、变形及应力进行了三维精细化模拟。结果表明:定位格架能够增强燃料棒表面的对流换热强度;包壳变形时向与刚凸接触的一侧折弯,向与弹簧接触的一侧凸起;包壳与定位格架接触部位的温度和最大等效应力随事故时间不断增大,且最大等效应力超过了包壳材料的屈服强度,将发生强度失效,影响其结构完整性。本文研究可为反应堆燃料元件包壳瞬态工况下的完整性评价提供借鉴。      

FCM燃料热学性能分析

研究了利用有限元分析软件ABAQUS对全陶瓷微封装燃料(FCM燃料)芯块进行热学性能分析的方法,并对FCM燃料芯块和传统UO_2芯块的热学性能进行了对比分析。研究结果表明:FCM芯块温度分布趋势与UO_2芯块相同,但具有较大不均匀性;典型压水堆运行工况下,FCM燃料芯块的燃料温度远小于UO_2芯块的温度;在相同线功率密度下,FCM芯块温度对燃耗变化不敏感;在相同燃耗下,FCM芯块随线功率密度增加温度升高的速率相比UO_2芯块更慢。     

燃料热导率降级对CAP1000大破口失水事故的影响分析

在高燃耗情况下,燃料芯块的热导率随燃耗降低,该现象被称之为热导率降级(TCD)现象。TCD现象影响失水事故(LOCA)前稳态工况的燃料平均温度和燃料储能,进而影响大破口LOCA过程中的包壳峰值温度(PCT)。本研究采用大破口LOCA分析程序WCOBRA/TRAC对CAP1000冷段双端剪切断裂事故进行了不同燃耗的敏感性分析,并获得了不同工况下的PCT。分析中采用美国核燃料研究所(NFI)修正的TCD模型对降级后的燃料热导率进行模拟,同时考虑了燃耗大于30GW·d/tU后FQ和FΔh峰值因子的降低。敏感性分析表明,考虑TCD和峰值因子降低的影响,PCT极限工况不再出现在低燃耗区间,而出现在燃耗为29GW·d/tU附近。与其他燃耗水平相比,该燃耗点的PCT第1峰值和第2峰值均处于最高水平。本研究结果可为高燃耗情况下非能动电厂大破口LOCA的分析评估提供参考。     

Stress biaxiality in high-burnup PWR fuel cladding under reactivity-initiated accident conditions

In order to promote a better understanding of failure mechanisms of high-burnup pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuels under reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) conditions, stress biaxiality in cladding has been estimated for the pellet-cladding (PC) mechanical interaction (PCMI) phase. The estimation was based on an analysis of the transient elongations of a pellet stack and a cladding tube measured in RIA-simulating experiments in the nuclear safety research reactor (NSRR) using the RANNS code. Stress biaxiality in the high-burnup PWR fuel cladding during the PCMI phase has been estimated to be 0.7–0.8, on average, at the mid-wall of the cladding. A comparison with fresh fuel test results and a sensitivity analysis showed that the effects of burnup and pulse width on cladding stress biaxiality are less than 10% for the investigated range. The present analysis also indicated that PC friction is strong, and that the cladding constraint on pellet stack elongation is significant irrespective of burnup. Therefore, it is recommended that strong PC friction be assumed, which is similar to the mechanical bonding condition, and that fuel pellets be treated as deformable materials in models of fuel behavior during the PCMI phase.     

Transient Elongation of a Fresh Fuel Rod under Reactivity Initiated Accident Conditions

In-pile experiments of fresh fuel rods under reactivity initiated accident (RIA) conditions have been performed in the Nuclear Safety Research Reactor at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in order to understand the basic pellet cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) behavior. Rapid fuel pellet expansion due to a power excursion would cause radial and longitudinal deformation of the cladding. This PCMI could be one of the possible incipient failure modes of an embrittled cladding of a high burnup fuel under the RIA conditions.

Basic PCMI behavior was studied by measuring cladding deformation of a fresh fuel rod without complicated irradiation effects. The transient elongation measurements of the fuel with two kinds of gap width indicated not only PCMI-induced cladding elongation, but also reduction of the pellet stack displacement by the cladding constraint. In the tests under a high-pressure and high-temperature condition simulating an operation condition of BWRs, additional ridge-type cladding deformation was generated due to the axial collapse of the cladding. A preliminary analysis for interpretation of the tests was made using a computer code for the transient analysis of fuel rods, FRAP-T6.     

Analysis of mechanical load on cladding induced by fuel swelling during power ramp in high burn-up rod by fuel performance code FEMAXI-6

Mechanical load on cladding induced by fuel swelling in a high burn-up BWR type rod was analyzed by a fuel performance code FEMAXI-6. The code was developed for the analysis of LWR fuel rod behaviors in normal operation and transient conditions using finite element method (FEM).During a power ramp for the high burn-up rod, instantaneous pellet swelling can significantly exceed the level that is predicted by a “steady-rate” swelling model, causing a large circumferential strain in cladding. This phenomenon was simulated by a new swelling model to take into account the fission gas bubble growth. As a result it was found that the new model can give reasonable predictions on cladding diameter expansion in comparison with PIE data. The bubble growth model assumes that the equilibrium state equation holds for a bubble under external pressure, and simultaneous solution is obtained with both bubble size determination equation and diffusion equation of fission gas atoms. In addition, a pellet-clad bonding model which has been incorporated in the code to assume solid mechanical coupling between pellet outer surface and cladding inner surface predicted the generation of bi-axial stress state in the cladding during ramp.     

Thermal-hydraulics analysis during fuel element failure in an operating PWR

The fuel element failure in an operating pressurized water reactor (PWR), including fuel element breaks, has an effect on the operation safety of PWR. In this paper, the RELAP5 model of the fuel element failure is established for the safety analysis. The RELAP5 time step sensitivity analyses for the element pre-break steady and post-break transient simulation are carried out. And the variations of main thermal-hydraulics parameters related to the fuel element break are quantitatively studied, which include the internal gap pressure and the maximum fuel pellet temperature as well as the releasement of noncondensables in the gap. It is found that (1) the results by the RELAP5 code is very sensitive to the time step in a volume system with the noncondensables, and the time step sensitivity analysis is necessary if the effective time step range is unknown, (2) the larger the break area is, the more quickly the gap pressure increases and the maximum pellet temperature reaches to the stable value, (3) when the gap pressure increases and reaches to the coolant pressure, at the break the liquid inflow from coolant to gap will be turned to the vapor outflow from gap to coolant, (4) during the failure transient, the gap thermal conductivity experiences a sharp decrease in the break instant, which results in the decrease of heat transferred to cladding and the sharp decrease of cladding temperature as well as the sharp increase of minimum departure from nucleate boiling ratio (MDNBR). These conclusions can provide the basic for the operation safety analysis of PWR during the fuel element failure.     

FARST — A computer code for the evaluation of FBR fuel rod behavior under steady-state/transient conditions

FARST, a computer code for the evaluation of fuel rod thermal and mechanical behavior under steady-state/transient conditions has been developed. The code characteristics are summarized as follows:

1. (i) FARST evaluates the fuel rod behavior under the transient conditions. The code analyzes thermal and mechanical phenomena within a fuel rod, taking into account the temperature change in coolant surrounding the fuel rod.

2. (ii) Permanent strains such as plastic, creep and swelling strains as well as thermoelastic deformations can be analyzed by using the strain increment method.

3. (iii) Axial force and contact pressure which act on the fuel stack and cladding are analyzed based on the stick/slip conditions.

4. (iv) FARST used a pellet swelling model which depends on the contact pressure between pellet and cladding, and an empirical pellet relocation model, designated as “jump relocation model”.

The code was successfully applied to analyses of the fuel rod irradiation data from pulse reactor for nuclear safety research in Cadarache (CABRI) and pulse reactor for nuclear safety research in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (NSRR).The code was further applied to stress analysis of a 1000 MW class large FBR plant fuel rod during transient conditions. The steady-state model which was used so far gave the conservative results for cladding stress during overpower transient, but underestimated the results for cladding stress during a rapid temperature decrease of coolant.     

Diametral strain of fast reactor MOX fuel pins with austenitic stainless steel cladding irradiated to high burnup

The C3M irradiation test, which was conducted in the experimental fast reactor, “Joyo”, demonstrated that mixed oxide (MOX) fuel pins with austenitic steel cladding could attain a peak pellet burnup of about 130 GWd/t safely. The test fuel assembly consisted of 61 fuel pins, whose design specifications were similar to those of driver fuel pins of a prototype fast breeder reactor, “Monju”. The irradiated fuel pins exhibited diametral strain due to cladding void swelling and irradiation creep. The cladding irradiation creep strain were due to the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) as well as the internal gas pressure. From the fuel pin ceramographs and ¹³⁷Cs gamma scanning, it was found that the PCMI was associated with the pellet swelling which was enhanced by the rim structure formation or by cesium uranate formation. The PCMI due to cesium uranate, which occurred near the top of the MOX fuel column, significantly affected cladding hoop stress and thermal creep, and the latter effect tended to increase the cumulative damage fraction (CDF) of the cladding though the CDF indicated that the cladding still had some margin to failure due to the creep damage.