Abstract

This study evaluates the reliability of a cumulative damage fraction (CDF) analysis for the prediction of fuel pin breach in fast rector using experimentally obtained fuel pin breach data for the first time. Six breached fuel pins with austenitic stainless steel cladding were obtained from steady state irradiation in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II. Post irradiation examinations revealed that fission gas pressure was the main cause of creep damage in cladding, and that the stress contribution from fuel-cladding-mechanical-interaction was negligible. CDFs evaluated for these pins using in-reactor creep rupture equation, taking into account the irradiation history of cladding temperature and hoop stress due to fission gas pressure, were in the range of 0.7 to 1.4 at the occurrence of breach. This shows clearly that fuel pin breach occurs when the CDF approaches 1.0. On the other hand, the CDFs derived from thermal control creep equation showed the value less than that from the in-reactor creep rupture equation. These results indicate that CDF analysis would be a reliable method for the prediction of fuel pin breach when appropriate material strength and environmental effects, i.e. the in-reactor creep rupture equation, are used.

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