In-pile release behavior of metallic fission products in graphite materials of an htgr fuel assembly

Abstract

Distribution of metallic fission products in the graphite sleeve and block of the fifth OGL-1 fuel assembly was measured by gamma spectrometry with lathe sectioning. Considerably large release fractions of long-lived fission products with smooth axial profiles were observed in the sleeve due to a large failure fraction of coated fuel particles accompanied with failed silicon carbide layers. Nevertheless, a key nuclide110mAg, whose large release is suspected at increased burnups for low-enriched uranium fuels, was effectively retained within the graphite sleeve. The retention was also observed for125Sb, 154Eu and155Eu up to a burnup of 3.2% fission per initial metal atom, but was limited for134Cs and137Cs at high sleeve-temperatures above 900°C. In-pile diffusion coefficients in IG-110 graphite have been evaluated for Cs, Ag and Sb; those for Cs are in reasonable agreement with available in-pile data.