Nuclear fuel behaviour under irradiation

Contenu(s)

F3. Nuclear fuels behaviour under irradiation
(Lecture: 16h, Practicals: 10h, Tutorials: 4h), E. Coulon-Picard (CEA)

Lecture (16h) : Nuclear fuel performances under irradiation in nominal conditions (E. Coulon-Picard)

• Nuclear fuel thermal performance and temperature effects.
• Irradiation effects in fuel materials.
• Fuel chemistry and fission products effects.
• Fission gases behaviour.
• Main limiting phenomena for various types of nuclear fuels:

LWR fuels

• Outer clad corrosion and hydridation, growth,
• Inner pressure,
• Pellet Cladding Interaction.

FR fuels

• Swelling of claddings and hexagonal wrapper,
• Inner corrosion of claddings,
• Margin to fuel melting.
• Characterization methods on irradiated nuclear fuels.

Nuclear fuel performances under irradiation in incidental and accidental conditions (Y. Pontillon)

• Nuclear fuel during incidental and accidental conditions:
• Fuel rod failure and reaction with coolant,
• Fuel behaviour during a LOCA (Loss Of Coolant Accident),
• Fuel behaviour during a RIA (Reactivity Insertion Accident).
• Modelling of fuel behaviour (B. Michel):
• Standard 1.5 D thermo-mechanical fuel performance code,
• 2D and 3D calculations,
• First approaches to multi-scale modelling.
• Fuel challenges in the coming decades.

Practicals, including a short visit of the LECA-STAR (choice to be made by groups of 4 to 5 students):

• Fission gases analysis,
• Non-destructive tests on irradiated fuel rods,
• Micro-analysis on irradiated fuel samples,
• Experimental irradiations in MTR

Tutorials: Exercises on elemental use of fuel behaviour simulation applications.