Performance of a Sphere-Pac Mixed-Carbide Fuel Pin Irradiated in the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR 527/1 Experiment)

摘要

The DFR 527/1 experiment was the first irradiation of EIR sphere-pac uranium-plutonium mixed carbide fuel in a fast flux. The experiment has been successfully irradiated to a burn-up of 7.3% FIMA at ratings between 45 and 62 kW m exp -1 and clad temperatures between 300 and 600 exp 0 C. Restructuring and elemental redistribution has been found to be similar to the pattern established for pellet type fuel and follows effects seen in earlier sphere-pac carbide tests. Gas release of 12 to 14% has been measured. A preliminary comparison of radial temperature distribution calculations using a first version of the fuel behavior modelling code SPECKLE with the actual metallography has been attempted. (ERA citation 07:053775)