Proposal and Validation of a Diagnosis Method of Fuel Failures in Pressurized Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plants

Based on research into the diagnosis methods for fuel failures in pressurized water reactor nuclear power plants and an analysis of existing problems, this paper proposes an enhanced fuel failure diagnosis method, addressing three key improvements: identification of the occurrence of fuel failure, diagnosis of the number of failed fuel rods, and the size of fuel rod failure. Other factors that may influence the diagnosis results are also identified and discussed. The proposed method is then verified using operational data from in‐service nuclear power plants in China. The verification results demonstrate that the improved diagnosis method accurately identifies fuel failures and exhibits broader applicability.