Integral Experiments Data, Databases, Benchmarks and Safety Joint Projects
NEA-1546 IFPE/IFA-429.
last modified: 12-NOV-1997 | catalog | new | search |

NEA-1546 IFPE/IFA-429.

IFPE/IFA-429, Fission Gas Release, Thermal Behaviour U02 Fuel, Halden Reactor

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1. NAME OF EXPERIMENT

IFPE/IFA-429

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2. COMPUTERS

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Program name Package id Status Status date
IFPE/IFA-429 NEA-1546/01 Arrived 12-NOV-1997

Machines used:

Package ID Orig. computer Test computer
NEA-1546/01 Many Computers
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3. DESCRIPTION

PWR type fuel rods assembled in three axially separated clusters of six rods were irradiated in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor as IFA-429 from June 1975 to September 1990. The eighteen-rod assembly had been designed to investigate gas absorption, fission gas release (FGR) and thermal behaviour of UO2 fuel during both steady state operation period and rapid power transients. In order to achieve the objectives, two rods were instrumented with fuel centre line thermocouples (TFs)and nine rods were instrumented with null-balance gas pressure transducers (PFs) monitoring rod internal gas pressure. The assembly was instrumented with nine vanadium neutron detectors, one cobalt detector, inlet and outlet coolant thermocouples and an inlet coolant flow turbine as well.

 

This database contains the measured temperature history for one of the middle cluster rods up to the burnup level of 53 MWd/kgUO2 and the measured internal pressure data for three upper and three lower cluster steady-state irradiated fuel rods subjected to rapid power transients. Rationalized power histories are also presented for all the seven rods.

 

In order to study FGR two series of power ramps were induced in August 1985 and in March 1988 by movable neutron absorbing shield surrounding the fuel rod clusters. Manually initiated gas pressure measurements were performed during the testing sequence. The FGR and the gas diffusion coefficients calculated on the basis of the measured rod internal pressure data are tabulated as well. Due to slightly different design characteristics of the six investigated fuel rods, the comparison of FGR data at three different fuel densities (91% TD, 93% TD and 95% TD), at two different grain sizes (6 um and 17 um) and at two different fuel-cladding gap sizes (200 um and 360 um) are possible.

 

As the null-balance pressure transducers were not part of the automatic data acquisition system the rod internal gas pressure data set is limited. Only the pressure data measured at zero power during the base irradiation period, and the average value of the pressures measured during the two series of rapid power transients are tabulated. Calculated fission gas release (FGR) data are also presented.

 

As the measured parameters were recorded in every 15th minute of the fifteen-year irradiation time, the huge original test fuel data base is not applicable for model validation without any rationalization. Hence the data were reduced on the basis of power history condensation performed for each rod. For the condensed histories new irradiation time is calculated on the basis of the burnup. However, for the investigation of some phenomena the 15 min. data acquisition frequency is required. Therefore some data from selected irradiation periods are presented without any condensation.

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9. STATUS
Package ID Status date Status
NEA-1546/01 12-NOV-1997 Masterfiled restricted
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10. REFERENCES

- W.H. Jens and P.A. Lottes: Analysis of Heat Transfer, Burn-out, Pressure Drop and Density Data for High Pressure Water, ANL-4627 (1951)

NEA-1546/01, included references:
- M.E.Cunningham, K.Svanholm: Fission Gas Release from PWR-Type Rods in IFA-429
during Rapid and Short Power Increases, HWR-159 (March 1986)
- M.R.Smith, P.M.Crosby, J.M.Aasgaard, Y.Minagawa: Fission Gas Release during a
Second Series of Rapid Power Increases on IFA-429 Rods at 40 GWD/TUO2, HWR-237
(April 1988)
- H.Devold, H.Wallin: PIE Results from the High Burnup Rods CD/CH (IFA-429) and
Comparison with with In-Pile Data, HWR-409 (October 1994)
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12. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE(S) USED
No specified programming language
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15. AUTHORS

OECD Halden Reactor Project

Institutt for Energiteknikk

P.O. Box 173

N-1751 HALDEN

Norway

 

Compilation: Cs. Gyori

Review: J.A. Turnbull

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16. MATERIAL AVAILABLE
NEA-1546/01
FGR.DAT    FGR calculation from pressure transducer measurements
ROD*.DAT   Rod histories
FIG*.PS    Figures
PF429.DAT Pressure data of six rods measured at zero power at different phases
of the base irradiation period
PFBOL.DAT Pressure data of six rods measured at BOL during power increase
TFBC.27    Tabulated thermocouple readings at 27 kW/m rod average linear heat
rate
TFBC.BU    Tabulated thermocouple readings at four different burnup levels
429.SUM    Summary report
READ.ME    Readme file
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17. CATEGORIES
  • Y. Integral Experiments Data, Databases, Benchmarks

Keywords: BWR reactors, burnup, experimental data, fission gas release, fission products, fuel elements, fuel pellets, fuel rods, pwr reactors, thermal conductivity.