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Journal Articles

Irradiation performance of HTGR fuel in WWR-K research reactor

Ueta, Shohei; Shaimerdenov, A.*; Gizatulin, S.*; Chekushina, L.*; Honda, Masaki*; Takahashi, Masashi*; Kitagawa, Kenichi*; Chakrov, P.*; Sakaba, Nariaki

Proceedings of 7th International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology (HTR 2014) (USB Flash Drive), 7 Pages, 2014/10

A capsule irradiation test with the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) fuel is being carried out using WWR-K research reactor in the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Republic of Kazakhstan (INP) to attain 100 GWd/t-U of burnup under normal operating condition of a practical small-sized HTGR. This is the first HTGR fuel irradiation test for INP in Kazakhstan collaborated with Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) in frame of International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) project. In the test, TRISO coated fuel particle with low-enriched UO $_{2}$ (less than 10% of $^{235}$ U) is used, which was newly designed by JAEA to extend burnup up to 100 GWd/t-U comparing with that of the HTTR (33 GWd/t-U). Both TRISO and fuel compact as the irradiation test specimen were fabricated in basis of the HTTR fuel technology by Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. in Japan. A helium-gas-swept capsule and a swept-gas sampling device installed in WWR-K were designed and constructed by INP. The irradiation test has been started in October 2012 and will be completed up to the end of February 2015. The irradiation test is in the progress up to 69 GWd/t of burnup, and integrity of new TRISO fuel has been confirmed. In addition, as predicted by the fuel design, fission gas release was observed due to additional failure of as-fabricated SiC-defective fuel.

JAEA Reports

An Investigation of fuel and fission product behavior in rise-to-power test of HTTR, 2; Results up to 30 MW operation

Ueta, Shohei; Emori, Koichi; Tobita, Tsutomu*; Takahashi, Masashi*; Kuroha, Misao; Ishii, Taro*; Sawa, Kazuhiro

JAERI-Research 2003-025, 59 Pages, 2003/11

JAERI-Research-2003-025.pdf:2.53MB

In the safety design requirements for the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) fuel, it is determined that "the as-fabricated failure fraction shall be less than 0.2%" and "the additional failure fraction shall be small through the full service period". Therefore the failure fraction should be quantitatively evaluated during the HTTR operation. In order to measure the primary coolant activity, primary coolant radioactivity signals the in safety protection system, the fuel failure detection (FFD) system and the primary coolant sampling system are provided in the HTTR. The fuel and fission product behavior was evaluated based on measured data in the rise-to-power tests (1) to (4). The measured fractional releases are constant at 210 $^{-9}$ up to 60% of the reactor power, and then increase to 710 $^{-9}$ at full power operation. The prediction shows good agreement with the measured value. These results showed that the release mechanism varied from recoil to diffusion of the generated fission gas from the contaminated uranium in the fuel compact matrix.

Journal Articles

Irradiation behavior of rock-like oxide fuels

Yamashita, Toshiyuki; Kuramoto, Kenichi; Shirasu, Noriko; Nakano, Yoshihiro; Akie, Hiroshi; Nagashima, Hisao; Kimura, Yasuhiko; Omichi, Toshihiko*

Journal of Nuclear Materials, 320(1-2), p.126 - 132, 2003/07

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3115(03)00178-8

Times Cited Count：10 Percentile：55.56(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)

Two irradiation tests on the rock-like oxide (ROX) fuels, small disk-shape fuel targets and pellet-type fuels, were performed in order to clarify in-pile irradiation stabilities. Swelling, fractional fission gas release (FGR) and phase change were examined by puncture test, profilometry and ceramography. YSZ single-phase fuel showed an excellent irradiation behavior, ie. low fission gas release (less than 3%), negligible swelling and no appreciable restructuring. The particle dispersed fuels showed lower swelling and higher fission gas release than those of mechanically blended fuels. Spinel decomposition and subsequence restructuring in the spinel matrix fuels was observed for the first time in the present investigation. It would be possible to reduce the FGR of the spinel matrix fuels, if the maximum fuels temperature is limited below 1700 K where neither spinel decomposition nor restructuring was observed. Damaged area of spinel matrix due to fission fragment irradiation seemed to be confined to thin layers around the surface of YSZ particles.

Journal Articles