Status and plan of LOCA study at JAEA

Nagase, Fumihisa 

JAEA has been conducting LOCA studies with unirradiated and irradiated fuel cladding tubes. As a result, various information has been obtained on cladding oxidation, ballooning and rupture behavior and condition of fracture on quench of high burnup fuel. JAEA is proceeding the second phase of the experimental program with high burnup fuel cladding irradiated European power reactors. It is expected that the experiments provide information for future regulation of high burnup fuels which use advanced cladding alloys. More investigations on secondary hydriding, restraint loading and development of test methodologies are required for better understanding of the high burnup fuel behavior under LOCA conditions.