Abstract
The cladding lift-off experiments at Halden yield direct data for the maximum pressure to which a rod can be operated without causing a lasting fuel temperature increase. UO2 or MOX fuel segments irradiated to high burnup in light water reactors are equipped with a fuel thermocouple and a cladding extensometer. Gas lines attached to the end plugs are connected to a high pressure system for pressurisation with argon and a low pressure system for hydraulic diameter measurements to study cladding outward deformation and axial gas communication within the fuel rod. The first experiment of the test series utilised a UO2 fuel segment irradiated in an LWR to 52 MWd/kgUO2. The test was operated for 4,400 h PWR conditions (155 bar, 310°C) provided by a loop system. The rod was pressurised starting at 205 bar and increasing to 455 bar in steps of 50 bar, while recording fuel centreline temperature and cladding elongation. The hold times at the different pressure levels were long enough to assess temperature trends. The measured rates of fuel temperature increase suggest that the necessary overpressure to cause a discernible lasting temperature change was 130–145 bar, equivalent to a cladding hoop stress of 70–77 MPa.
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