Comparative calculation of thermo-mechanical behavior of LEU and WGMOX fuel pins in light water reactors using COMETHE-4D and FRAPCON-3 steady-state fuel performance codes

This project examined the behavior of WG MOX fuel in a U.S. pressurized water reactor (PWR) and a Russian water-water energetic reactor (WWER-1000). The reference plant designs used for the calculations were a Westinghouse four loop plant representing the Catabwa Plant and McGuire plants of Duke Power and the Balakovo nuclear power plant of Rosenergatoatom. It is anticipated that these two plants will be used for the plutonium disposition missions in the U.S. and Russia. Fuel burnup targets typical of US light used to assess the used. The present paper is focused on the results obtained for the WWER-1000. In this study, calculations were made for both low enriched uranium oxide fuel (LEU) and MOX. This provides a reference point for comparison with well-established fuel types. In addition, two fuel performance codes were used. The COMETHE-4D (COmputer code for the MEchanical and THErmal behavior of fuel rods) has been developed by Belgonucleaire, SA of Brussels, Belgium. The second code was FRAPCON-3 (Computer Code for the Calculation of Steady-State Thermal-Mechanical Behavior of Oxide Fuel Rods for High Burnup) written by the Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. By using two different codes written by independent organizations for different purposes and employing alternative approaches, valuable insight was gained. Comparison of results yielded extremely useful information