Integral Experiments Data, Databases, Benchmarks and Safety Joint Projects
NEA-1806 IFPE/DEFEX.
last modified: 14-APR-2008 | catalog | new | search |

NEA-1806 IFPE/DEFEX.

IFPE/DEFEX, Studsvik DEFEX BWR fuel secondary defect formation as a consequence of primary defects

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1. NAME OF EXPERIMENT

IFPE/DEFEX

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2. COMPUTERS

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Program name Package id Status Status date
IFPE/DEFEX NEA-1806/01 Arrived 14-APR-2008

Machines used:

Package ID Orig. computer Test computer
NEA-1806/01 Many Computers
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3. DESCRIPTION

The DEFEX Project started on 1 April 1993. It is an undertaking made in international co-operation, aiming at the study of secondary defect formation as a consequence of primary defects. The experiments were made in the R2 test reactor using a special simulation technique for the primary defects. Test rodlets typical of 8x8 BWR fuel with three different types of Zircaloy-2 cladding were investigated in a total of eleven tests. Standard cladding was compared to zirconium liner cladding as well as to rifled cladding, which has been proposed as a remedy against secondary failure by hydriding. Linear Heat Rate, pellet - clad gap and irradiation time were the principal test parameters. The rodlets were previously unirradiated.

 

The DEFEX Project was preceded by two exploratory test series, financed by Swedish sponsors. Defect Fuel Experiment No. 1 was performed in December 1990 and March 1991. Defect Fuel Experiment No. 2 was performed between June 1992 and January 1993.

 

The non-destructive measurements that were made include on-line elongation measurement, profilometry measurement, eddy current scanning, neutron radiography, gamma scanning, visual inspection and gap squeeze measurement.

 

Destructive examinations included metallography, fuel grain size measurements, determination of fuel porosity distribution, cladding hydrogen determination by SEM, Electron Probe Micro Analysis in one case, mass spectrometry of residual gas and UO2 oxidation determination by X-ray powder diffraction.

 

Four of the DEFEX test rodlets, all with 0.15 micron gap but with different types of cladding, failed in conjunction with extensive hydriding at Linear Heat Rates of 40 and 50 kW/m. For three of these rodlets, with standard and rifled cladding, time to failure varied between 76 and 102 hours. The fourth rodlet, with liner cladding, failed after 216 hours. The hydriding degradation process could be followed by studying the elongation curve. It was observed that those rodlets that failed early exhibited a steeper increase after the initial features than those that did not fail. This fact is ascribed to intensive hydriding of the cladding. For the liner rodlet, which remained intact for the longest time, the elongation curve had a similar shape in the beginning, but after two days' irradiation it levelled off. The ensuing elongation is ascribed to the influence of irradiation growth.

 

The oxidation behavior of the rodlets with liner cladding and those with standard cladding was not very different at the low burnups of the DEFEX Project. However, the liner cladding showed less hydrogen pick-up than the standard cladding.

 

The Final Report gives diagrams of actual rods and dimensions.

A summary of the experiments is given in Table 4.1 of DEFEX16 report.

 

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9. STATUS
Package ID Status date Status
NEA-1806/01 14-APR-2008 Masterfiled restricted
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10. REFERENCES
NEA-1806/01, included references:
- Mikael Carlsson: The DEFEX Project - Irradiation Parameters and Elongation
Measurements of the First Three DEFEX Tests (STUDSVIK-DEFEX-7, 1994)
- Mikael Carlsson: The DEFEX Project - Irradiation Parameters and Elongation
Measurements of the DEFEX Tests Number 4, 5, 5X and 6 (STUDSVIK-DEFEX-12, 1994)
- Mikael Carlsson: The DEFEX Project - Irradiation Parameters and Elongation
Measurements of the DEFEX Tests Number 7, 8, 9 and 10 (STUDSVIK-DEFEX-16, 1995)
- Christian Graslund: Final Report of the DEFEX Project (STUDSVIK-DEFEX-21,
1995)
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12. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE(S) USED
No specified programming language
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15. AUTHORS

Studsvik Nuclear AB

SE-611 82 NYKOEPING

Sweden

 

Compilation: J.A. Turnbull

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16. MATERIAL AVAILABLE
NEA-1806/01
DEFEX-*.HIS Three zone irradiation histories for rods 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5X, 6, 7,
8, 9, 10
DEFEX Experiment.doc Description of the DEFEX experiment
DEFEX Summary.doc DEFEX Summary
Details of DEFEX rods.doc Pre-characterization and test data
QA report for DEFEX Experiments.doc QA report
Readme.doc Readme file
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17. CATEGORIES
  • Y. Integral Experiments Data, Databases, Benchmarks

Keywords: boiling water reactor, defect, elongation, zircaloy.