Load following testing by AECL in collaboration with the Institute for Nuclear Research in Romania

Tests are planned to confirm and demonstrate that the load following (LF) operation of CANDU reactors would have no deleterious effect on fuel performance. Current operating experience with LF has not identified any new limiting criteria for LF operation. Thus far, fission-gas release and sheath strains have been consistent with those of baseline operation. As part of the collaboration under the Romania-Canada Memorandum for Cooperation in research and development of nuclear energy and technology, one of the areas of focus is LF experiments at the Institute for Nuclear Research (SCN) in Pitesti, Romania, where both in-reactor and out-reactor testing will be performed. This paper describes the irradiation and post-irradiation examination facilities at SCN in Pitesti, the operational experience with power-cycling testing performed in-reactor, and a description of the ongoing in-reactor testing in the SCN TRIGA reactor. This paper also describes the out-reactor test methodology and test matrix that will be used in the SCF tests at SCN. (author)