EBR-II MOX fuel characterization enabling ARES Phase I testing

ARES PhaseI試験のためのEBR-II照射MOX燃料の解析

Bess, J. D.*; Chipman, A. S.*; Pope, C. L.*; Jensen, C. B.*; 小澤 隆之  ; 廣岡 瞬 ; 加藤 正人*

Bess, J. D.*; Chipman, A. S.*; Pope, C. L.*; Jensen, C. B.*; Ozawa, Takayuki; Hirooka, Shun; Kato, Masato*

日米共同研究の一環として、アイダホ国立研究所の過渡照射試験炉TREATにおいて、過去にEBR-IIで照射したMOX燃料を用いた過渡照射試験を計画している。EBR-IIで約134.4GWd/tを達成したMOX燃料ピン3本の内、2本を過渡照射試験に用いることを計画しており、残りの1本について照射試験のための事前解析を行った。事前解析では、燃料ペレットの特性と照射履歴を整理するとともに、崩壊計算や非破壊分析を行った。得られたデータを元に炉心解析を行い、照射試験条件の検討を進めた。

Pretransient characterization was performed for the EBR-II MOX fuel pellets from the SPA-2/-2B Operational Reliability Testing collaboration between Japan and US. The continued collaboration will investigate the transient performance of these rods in TREAT at Idaho National Laboratory. The results will fill a gap in existing transient performance data for MOX as these rods have a peak burnup of ~134.4 GWd/t in the EBR-II. Fuel pellet properties were gathered from available resources and their irradiation and decay history evaluated. Further reactor physics calculations were performed to support the experiment design, reactor operations, and safety analyses necessary to enable the programmatic success. Of the three irradiated fuel pins, two will undergo transient testing, and all three will undergo post-irradiation examination.