Development and the results for the control rods in MK-II core of experimental fast reactor JOYO

Miyakawa, Shunichi; ; Soga, Tomonori

PNC TN9410 97-068, 113 Pages, 1997/07

PNC-TN9410-97-068.pdf:3.97MB

Since the first control rod design for the Joyo Mk-II core (about twenty years ago), there have been several challenging improvements; for example, a helium venting mechanism and a flow induced vibration prevention mechanism. Forty-four control rods with these various modifications have been fabricated. To date, thirty-four have been irradiated and the sixteen have been examined, This experience and effort has produced fruitful results: (1)Efficiency and reliability of the diving-bell type Helium venting mechanism (2)Efficiency of the flow induced vibration prevention mechanism (3)Efficiency of the improvement for scram damping mechanism (4)Clarification of absorvber-pellet-cladding-mechanical-interaction (ACMI)phenomena and preventive methods The fourth result listed above has been a subject of investigation for fifteen years in several countries, that is a main phenomena to dominate control rod life time. The results of this investigation of ACMI in absorber elements are summarized below: (a)In five of Joyo Mk-II control rods, cladding cracks were found in fifteen of the elements. These cracks were caused by a acceleration ACMI, due to BC fragments relocation. They occurred over a wide burnup range from 5E+26 Cap./m to 45E+26Cap./m in a nearly typical provability distribution. The cladding cracked because of its low ductility (approximately 1/4 lower than the uniform elongation of usual tensile testing for irradiated 316SS cladding) due to neutron irradiation and the ultra slow ACMI induced strain rate. (b)In this case the crack growth rate is extremely slow and the ACMI induced cracking in absorber elements do not influence either the reactor or plant operations. It is on this basis that a strict limitation to avoid the cladding crack is not necessary. According1y, it is suggested that a realistic design standard should consider the ACMI phenomena and the burnup limit be based on the nominal base calculation for average plastic strain use ...