| Chair(s): |
Katalin KULACSY, Hungary |
Secretary: |
Michelle BALES (michelle.bales@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chair(s): |
Andrew PRUDIL, Canada | ||
| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
| Russia (Suspended*) | |||
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 30 June 2011 | ||
| End of mandate: | 31 March 2026 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document [NEA/NSC/WPRS(2024)2]
Scope
Under the guidance of the Working Party on Scientific Issues and Uncertainty Analysis of Reactor Systems (WPRS), the Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP) will perform specific tasks associated with fuel performance aspects of present and future nuclear power systems, with a focus on normal operating conditions. Reactor types considered include, but are not limited to the following:
Focus is on LWRs for modelling, all systems for inclusion of data within the International Fuel Performance Experiments (IFPE) database.
Objectives
This technical information will generally be derived from a combination of direct experimental evidence and/or the results of theoretical benchmark analyses using accurate, validated modelling methods. In either case, the availability of suitable experimental data is a fundamental requirement. A key objective of the group will therefore be to help identify, evaluate and preserve this type of experimental data. In this context, the Expert Group will monitor, steer and support the continued development of the IFPE database.
3. To facilitate the dissemination of technical information and knowledge through activities such as workshops, benchmark studies and training activities.
Working Methods
In 2024, the EGRFP will begin a period of transferring its activities to the NSC Working Party on Scientific Issues of Nuclear Fuels and Materials (WPFM) with the aim to end its mandate in 2025. In the meantime, the EGRFP members will work to define a means to preserve an expert community that handles application-focused, engineering-scale fuel performance activities and preserve the connection to the WPRS experts and activities.
Until the mandate ends, The EGRFP will report to the WPRS and will meet once per year for plenary meetings, with additional meetings in support of particular activities (e.g. benchmarks).
Deliverables of the EGRFP are developed in task or benchmark groups, whose work will be organised in a project-like manner with outcomes and milestones.
Interactions
The EGRFP will coordinate with other bodies working in the area of fuel performance. In particular, the EGRFP will liaise closely with the CSNI Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS), the NSC Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the NSC Working Party on Materials Science Issues in Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (WPFM), the WPFC Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE), the WPRS Expert Group on Physics of Reactor Systems (EGPRS) and the Expert Group on Reactor Systems Multi-Physics (EGMUP). The EGRFP will also maintain links with other international activities that are complementary to its work, including the Halden Reactor Project, the Second Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES-II) and the IAEA Technical Working Group on Fuel Performance and Technology (TWG-FPT).
Deliverables
The deliverables of EGRFP are technical reports, proceedings of seminars or workshops, state-of-the-art reports, and technical or collective opinion papers, databases, and comparison or benchmark studies. The group will also organise specialist meetings and workshops to further its objectives. The detailed list of deliverables will be tracked in the semi-annual NSC progress reports.
