Development of quality control data base 'DANTE' and relational analysis between fission gas release behavior and plutonium homogeneity in mixed oxide fuel by DANTE

The PNC Plutonium Fabrication Facility (PPFF) of Tokai Works of the 'Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation' (PNC) has produced several types of mixed oxide fuels which have been used as the fuels for the Advanced Thermal Reactor FUGEN, and the Experimental Fast Reactor JOYO. Accumulated production of MOX fuel is about 58000 pins as of December, 1986. PPFF production technique is so reliable that no failure of driver fuel pins has been found in the FUGEN and JOYO. This is based on the adequate process control and quality control. In this paper the outline of quality control method applied to MOX fuels in our facility will be reviewed. The discussion is done mainly on the viewpoint of the software system including data gathering, data analysis and data storage, etc. The code system, Data Analysing Technology for Engineers, DANTE, has been developed for this purpose. The DANTE code system is consisted of real time system having relational data base. It is possible to refer the data base relationally and to make tables and figures of the analyzed results on real time by using the DANTE code system. The DANTE code system contributes to quality assurance in the MOX Fuel production facility by evaluating overall data which come from each process such as production and inspection process. (orig.)