Towards a more accurate concept of fuels

Full text: The introduction of LEU in Atucha and the approval of CARA show an advancement of the Argentine power stations fuels, which stimulate and show a direction to follow. In the first case, the use of enriched U fuel relax an important restriction related to neutronic economy; that means that it is possible to design less penalized fuels using more Zry. The second case allows a decrease in the lineal power of the rods, enabling a better performance of the fuel in normal and also in accident conditions. In this work we wish to emphasize this last point, trying to find a design in which the surface power of the rod is diminished. Hence, in accident conditions owing to lack of coolant, the cladding tube will not reach temperatures that will produce oxidation, with the corresponding H2 formation and with plasticity enough to form blisters, which will obstruct the reflooding and hydration that will produce fragility and rupture of the cladding tube, with the corresponding radioactive material dispersion. This work is oriented to find rods designs with quasi rectangular geometry to lower the surface power of the rods, in order to obtain a lower central temperature of the rod. Thus, critical temperatures will not be reached in case of lack of coolant. This design is becoming a reality after PPFAE's efforts in search of cladding tubes fabrication with different circumferential values, rectangular in particular. This geometry, with an appropriate pellet design, can minimize the pellet-cladding interaction and, through the accurate width election, non rectified pellets could be used. This means an important economy in pellets production, as well as an advance in the fabrication of fuels in gloves box and hot cells in the future. The sequence to determine critical geometrical parameters is described and some rod dispositions are explored