Abstract
A comprehensive investigation of SM reactor fuel elements with 20% higher nuclear fuel load after reactor tests with elevated parameter values is performed. The radial swelling behavior of fuel elements and their kernels as a function of the fission products concentration, fission density, heat-flux density, and test temperature is presented. The swelling behavior of fuel particles in the transfer cross section of a fuel element kernel is examined. The dependences found make it possible to evaluate quantitatively the swelling of fuel elements for different values of the thermophysical parameters and choose safe values for the parameters taking account of the maximum swelling of the fuel elements and the technical possibilities. The present investigations are devoted to studying the radiation resistance of modified fuel elements for the SM-3 research reactor. These investigations were performed according to a program of upgrading the core of this reactor to expand its experimental possibilities [1]. Fuel elements with 20% larger fuel load as compared with the standard load were chosen for the tests. The fuel elements have a cross-shaped profile in the transverse section; the fuel composition consists of uranium dioxide particles which are dispersed in a copper matrix, and the cladding material is Kh16N15M3B steel. The technology used for fabricating such elements is described in [2]. The fuel elements were tested in two experimental fuel assemblies in the circuit channel of a SM-3 reactor. The neutron-physical and thermophysical parameters of the reactor irradiation for the sections with the highest power density are as follows (FA denotes Fuel Assembly):
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