Effects of Gap Gas Pressure and Xenon Concentration on the Thermal Behavior of Operating Fuel Rods: Experimental Results and Comparison with Theory and FRAP Code Predictions

摘要

In an experiment sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the Halden Boiling Water Reactor, fuel rod internal pressure and gas composition were varied on two fuel rods, during nuclear operation, in the range of 0.1 to 5.1 MPa and 0 to 10% xenon in helium. Fuel thermal response was measured simultaneously by center-line thermocouples. The results indicate that current gap conductance theory predicts well the responses of fuel temperature to changes in the gas composition and pressure, although exceptions are noted. Predictions of the FRAP-T fuel behavior computer code are also shown to agree well with the measured temperature data.