Testing and implementation program for the modified Darlington 37-element fuel bundle

To mitigate the effects of reactor ageing, a design modification to the 37-element fuel is proposed in which the diameter of the centre element will be reduced to 11.5 mm from 13.1 mm. The testing and implementation phase for the 37-element fuel bundle modification is discussed in this paper. The initial plan for testing is to perform a set of out-reactor tests to assess the endurance, acoustic response and cross-flow behaviour of the revised fuel bundle design. The initial schedule outlines activities that will enable OPG to implement full core fuelling of the modified bundle within the next three to four years. (author)