• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.943-948
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• 2019

In this study, investigation of spent fuel was performed using six group delayed neutron parameters. Three used fuels (F1, F2, and F11) which are burnt over the years in the core of Missouri University of Science and Technology Reactor (MSTR), were investigated. F16 fresh fuel was used as plutonium free fuel element and compared with irradiated used fuels to develop burnup and Pu discrimination method. The fast fission factor of the MSTR was calculated to be 1.071 which was used for burnup calculations. Burnup values of F2 and F11 fuel elements were estimated to be 1.98 g and 2.7 g, respectively. $^{239}Pu$ conversion was calculated to be 0.36 g and 0.50 g for F2 and F11 elements, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2008

In modem power reactors, nuclear fuels have recently reached 55,000 MWd/MtU from the initial average burnup of 35,000 MWd/MtU to reduce the fuel cycle cost and waste volume. At such high burnups, a fuel pellet produces fission products proportional to the burnup and creates a typical high burnup structure around the periphery region of the pellet, producing the so called 'rim effect'. This rim region of a highly burnt fuel is known to be ca. $200\;{\mu}m$ in width and is known to affect the fuel integrity. To characterize the local burnup in the rim region, solid sampling in the micro meter region by laser ablation is needed so that the distribution of isotopes can be determined by ICP-MS. For this procedure, special radiation shielding is required for personnel safety. In this study, we installed a radiation shielded laser ablation ICP-MS system, and a performance test of the developed system was conducted to evaluate the safe operation of instruments.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3464-3471
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• 2023

The Uranium/Molybdenum metallic fuel has been proposed as promising advanced fuel concept especially in the dispersed fuel geometry. The fuel is manufactured in the form of small fuel droplets (particles) placed in a fuel pin covered by a matrix. In addition to fuel particles, the pin contains voids necessary to compensate material swelling and release of fission gases from the fuel particles. When investigating this advanced fuel design, two important questions were raised. Can the dispersed fuel performance be analyzed using homogenization without significant inaccuracy and what size of fuel drops should be used for the fuel design to achieve optimal utilization? To answer, 2D burnup calculations of fuel assemblies with different fuel particle sizes were performed. The analysis was supported by an additional 3D fuel pin calculation with the dispersed fuel particle size variations. The results show a significant difference in the multiplication factor between the homogenized calculation and the detailed calculation with precise fuel particle geometry. The recommended fuel particle size depends on the final burnup to be achieved. As shown in the results, for lower burnup levels, larger fuel drops offer better multiplication factor. However, when higher burnup levels are required, then smaller fuel drops perform better.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.10
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• pp.1307-1314
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• 2009

The isotope ratio of $^{134}Cs/^{137}Cs$ in a spent PWR fuel sample was obtained with a newly developed gamma/neutron combined measuring system at KAERI. Burnup and Pu/U ratio of the spent fuel sample were determined by using the measured isotope ratio and the burnup-isotope ratio correlation equations calculated from the ORIGEN-ARP computer code. The results were compared and evaluated with the chemically determined burnup and Pu/U ratio. As a result of the comparative evaluation, the nondestructively determined burnup and Pu/U ratio values showed a good agreement with the chemically obtained results to within a 4.5% and 0.8% difference, respectively.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.273-286
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• 1998

As there has arisen a concern that failure of the high burnup fuel under the reactivity-insertion accident(RIA) may occur at the energy lower than the expected, fuel behavior under the rod ejection accident in a typical Westinghouse-designed 950 MWe PWR was analyzed by using the three dimensional nodal transient neutronics code, PANBOX2 and the transient fuel rod performance analysis code, FRAP-T6. Fuel failure criteria versus the burnup was conservatively derived taking into account available test data and the possible fuel failure mechanisms. The high burnup and longer cycle length fuel loading scheme of a peak rod turnup of 68 MWD/kgU was selected for the analysis. Except three dimensional core neutronics calculation, the analysis used the same core conditions and assumptions as the conventional zero dimensional analysis. Results of three dimensional analysis showed that the peak fuel enthalpy during the rod ejection accident is less than one third of that calculated by the conventional zero dimensional analysis methodology and the fraction of fuel failure in the core is less than 4 %. Therefore, it can be said that the current design limit of less than 10 percent fuel failure and maintaining the core coolable geometry would be adequately satisfied under the rod ejection accident, even though the conservative fuel failure criteria derived from the test data are applied.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.327-335
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• 1997

The correlation of isotope composition of uranium, plutonium and neodymium with the burnup in M uranium dioxide fuel has been investigated experimentally. The total and fractional($^{235}$ U) burnup were determined by Nd-148 and, U and Pu mass spectrometric method respectively. The isotope compositions of these elements, after their separation from the fuel samples were measured by mass spectrometric. The content of the elements in the irradiated fuel ore determined by isotope dilution mass spectrometric method using $^{233}$ U, $^{242}$ Pu and $^{150}$ Nd as spikes. The content of plutonium in the irradiated fuel was expressed by the correlation with uranium isotopes. The correlations between isotope compositions themselves and the total and fractional burnup ore compared with those calculated from ORIGEN2 code.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1996.05a
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• pp.52-57
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• 1996

The coolant void reactivity is positive for CANDU reactor loaded with DUPIC fuel which has more fissile content compared to natural uranium. A parametric study was done to reduce the void reactivity of the fuel bundle and loss in discharge burnup was estimated. It is observed that the burnable absorbers like gadolinium, boron, europium are not able to keep the reduction in void reactivity uniform throughout fuel burnup. Dysprosium and erbium can keep the void reactivity reduction uniform throughout. fuel burnup but toss in discharge burnup for erbium case is more compared to that of dysprosium case.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2008

One of the major current challenges to nuclear energy lies in its competitiveness. To stay competitive the industry needs to reduce maintenance and fuel cycle costs, while enhancing safety features. Extended burnup is one of the methods applied to meet these objectives However, there are a number of potential fuel failure causes related to increased burnup, as follows: l) Corrosion of zirconium alloy cladding and the water chemistry parameters that enhance corrosion; 2) Dimensional changes of zirconium alloy components, 3) Stresses that challenge zirconium alloy ductility and the effect of hydrogen (H) pickup and redistribution as it affects ductility, 4) Fuel rod internal pressure, 5) Pellet-cladding interactions (PCI) and 6) pellet-cladding mechanical interactions (PCMI). This paper discusses current and potential failure mechanisms of these failure mechanisms.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 1997

A thermal conductivity correlation has been proposed which can be applied to high turnup fuel by considering both of thermal conductivity with turnup across fuel pellet and additional degradation at pellet rim due to very high porosity. In addition, a correlation has been developed that can estimate the porosity of rim region as a function of rim burnup under the assumptions that all the produced fission gases are retained in the in porosity and threshold pellet average burnup required for the formation of rim region is 40 MWD/㎏U. Rim width is correlated to rim burnup using measured data. For the RISO experimental data obtained at pellet average turnup of 43.5 MWD/㎏U for three linear heat generation rates of 30, 35 and 40 ㎾/m, radial temperature distributions ore calculated using the present correlation and compared with the measured ones. This comparison shows that the present correlation gives the best agreement with the measured data when it is combined with the HALDEN's correlation for thermal conductivity considering its degradation with burnup. Another comparison with the HALDEN's measured fuel centerline temperature as a function of burnup at 25 ㎾/m up to about 44 MWD/㎾U also suggest that the present correlation yields the best agreement when it is combined with the HALDEN's thermal conductivity.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.303-313
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• 2023

Spent fuels (SFs) are stored in a storage pool after discharge from nuclear power plants. They can be transferred to for the further processes such as dry storage sites, processing plants, or disposal sites. One of important measures of SF is the burnup. Since the radioactivity of SF is strongly dependent on its burnup, the burnup of SF should be well estimated for the safe management, storage, and final disposal. Published papers about the methodology for the burnup estimation from the known activities of important radioactive sources are somewhat rare. In this study, we analyzed the dependency of the burnup on the important radiation source activities using ORIGEN-ARP, and suggested simple correlations that relate the burnup and the important source activities directly. A burnup estimation equation is suggested for PWR fuels relating burnup with total neutron source intensity (TNSI), initial enrichment, and cooling time. And three burnup estimation equations for major gamma sources, ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, and ¹⁵⁴Eu are also suggested.