Analysis of PWR cladding transient load under LOCA quench conditions

LOCA is a classical design basis accident needed to be considered in all LWR safety analyses. The thermal shock induced by quench during LOCA may cause fracture in the claddings which could lead to core damage. Therefore it is necessary to study the cladding behavior during quench. This paper reports the results of LOCA quench experiments and simulations using the RANNS code for evaluating local mechanical and thermal states of axial load on the cladding. The experimental measurements suggest the rate of load gain decreases with an increasing of the ECR value due to the thicker zirconia layer which serves as a thermal barrier. In addition, the temperature-induced stress on the cladding along the axial direction appears uneven. Therefore, it is found that the LOCA simulation needs multiple elements in the axial direction for obtaining a fairly good prediction of the axial load gain. Finally, the RANNS simulation of the pellet center temperature is validated, and the RANNS code shows the capability in predicting the axial load generated during quench for ECR of lower or equal to 15%. (author)