Modeling the behavior of a light-water production reactor target rod

Abstract

Pacific Northwest Laboratory has been conducting a series of in-reactor experiments in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to determine the amount of tritium released by permeation from a target rod under neutron irradiation. The model discussed in this report was developed from first principles to model the behavior of the first target rod irradiated in the ATR. The model can be used to determine predictive relationships for the amount of tritium that permeates through the target rod cladding during irradiation. The model consists of terms and equations for tritium production, gettering, partial pressure, and permeation, all of which are described in this report. The model addressed only the condition of steady state and features only a single adjustable parameter. The target rod design for producing tritium in a light-water reactor was tested first in the WC-1 in-reactor experiment. During irradiation, tritium is generated in the target rod within the ceramic lithium target material. The target rod has been engineered to limit the release of tritium to the reactor coolant during normal operations. The engineered features are a nickel-plated Zircaloy-4 getter and a barrier coating on the cladding surfaces. The ceramic target is wrapped with themore » getter material and the resulting ``pencils`` are inserted into the barrier coated cladding. These features of the rod are described in the report, along with the release of tritium from the ceramic target. The steady-state model could be useful for the design procedure of target rod components.« less