Performance Tests of Locking Devices and a Prototype Fabrication of an AHR Fuel Assembly

Based on the technical experiences in the design and operation for the HANARO, the design of an Advanced HANARO Reactor (AHR) was launched by KAERI. The final goal of the project is to develop a new and advanced research reactor model which is superior in safety and economical aspects. As a first step for the design of the AHR, a conceptual design of a fuel assembly and a core structure has been carried out. For determining a fuel for the AHR, three typical fuel types of plate, tube and rod fuels, which have been widely used as research reactor fuels, are reviewed from various aspects such as the fuel material and fabrication, reactor physics and thermalhydraulic characteristics, structural integrity. To verify the preliminary design of the locking device, the components were fabricated. Then, tests on a loading/unloading, rotational resistance and a vibration with the locking device were carried out. This paper summarizes the results of the performance tests of the locking devices and the prototype fabrication of the AHR fuel assembly