Shuffling, Dic, Proba in Cells: Three Peculiar Devices for Fuel Irradiation Tests

摘要

Three support devices designed and developed for steady state irradiation and ramp tests in a flowing boiling water environment are described. The SHUFFLING device operates in hot cells with the objective of detecting, after an irradiation period, defective rod bundles and performs the shuffling of three rod bundles. Defect detection is based on thermal and pressure cycling of the fuel. The DIC device is for the nondestructive detection of fretting corrosion marks on the pressure tube surface in contact with the fuel. The basic principle is the permanent reproduction of the inside surface on a special rubber material. The PROBA in cells device allows for tangential strain evaluation of irradiated fuel cladding by the experimental measurement of the actual cladding profile in polar coordinates.