Results of Tests of VVER-1000 Fuel Elements with High Fuel Burnup in the MIR Reactor for LOC Incident Conditions

• Published in: Atomic energy (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2018-01, Vol.123 (3), p.159-166
• Main Authors: Alekseev, A. V., Goryachev, A. V., Izhutov, A. L., Dreganov, O. I., Kireeva, L. V., Kiseleva, I. V., Shulimov, V. N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accident conditions; Building materials; BURNUP; CLADDING; DEPRESSURIZATION; Energy industry; FRAGMENTATION; FUEL ELEMENTS; GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; LOSS OF COOLANT; MIR REACTOR; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear fuel elements; NUCLEAR FUELS; Nuclear Physics; Nuclear power plants; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Pressure reduction; REACTOR CHANNELS; Reactors; WWER TYPE REACTORS
• ISSN: 1063-4258; 1573-8205
• DOI: 10.1007/s10512-018-0318-4

The main results of tests performed on VVER-1000 fuel elements with high burnup of fuel in a channel of the MIR channel reactor for LOC accident conditions are examined. The experimental setup contains one fuel element, which is arranged along the central axis. The aim of the tests is to determine the parameters of cladding depressurization. In the experiment, questions concerning fragmentation, axial displacement, and possible escape of fuel to outside the cladding were studied and the properties of the cladding material and fuel, which were subjected to the extreme parameters, were determined. The main parameters and the results of two experiments are presented. The conditions under which fuel-element depressurization occurred are determined.