NEA-1736 IFPE/GBGI.

1. NAME OR DESIGNATION:  IFPE Grain Bubble Gas Interlinkage.

3. DESCRIPTION

The fuel microstructure examination at the thermocouple tips in the lower and upper part of a steady-state irradiated experimental fuel rod with different as fabricated fuel-to-clad gaps in these two regions revealed on-set of grain boundary gas bubble precipitation in the fuel center of the small-gap/low-temperature region (lower part) and developed interlinkage in the fuel center of the large-gap/high-temperature region (upper part). By use of a diffusion model and the measured temperatures, corresponding grain boundary gas "concentrations" were calculated.

[1] Fritz Sontheimer: 'Experimental Information on Interlinkage', Expert Group
Meeting on Scientific Issues in Fuel Behaviour - International Fuel Performance
Experiments Data Base (IFPE) - and Status of FUMEX-II  Programme,
Aix-en-Provence, 8 March 2004 (Powerpoint presentation and PDF)

[2] Fritz Sontheimer: 'Grain boundary fission gas interlinkage concentrations
derived from measured temperatures, fuel micro structures and S/V ratios of
irradiated UO2 fuel', private communication, February 2005

[3] F. Sontheimer, P. Dewes, R. Manzel and H. Stehle: 'Release of the volatile
fission products Xe, Kr and Cs from PWR fuel under steady and transient
conditions up to high burnup' IAEA TCM on Fuel Ros Internal Chemistry and
Fission Product Behaviour, IAEA-TC 544 No. 9, Karlsruhe 1985

15. NAME AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHORS

AREVA NP GmbH      
Bunsenstrasse 43
D-91058 Erlangen
Germany

Experimental Information on Interlinkage (Powerpoint presentation and PDF)
Grain boundary fission gas interlinkage concentrations derived from measured
temperatures (PDF)
Document IAEA-TC 544 No. 9 (PDF)