Development of SEU-43 fuel bundle for CANDU type reactors

SEU-43 fuel bundle is a CANDU type fuel consisting of two element sizes, to reduce element ratings, while maintaining the same bundle power, and an uranium content very close to the uranium content of a standard 37-element bundle. In order to reduce the detrimental effects of the life limiting factors at extended burnup a set of solutions have been adopted for fuel element design. As a part of the design verification program, experimental bundles have been fabricated and utilized in typical out of reactor tests conducted at the laboratories of INR, Pitesti. These tests simulated current CANDU-6 reactor normal operating conditions of flow, temperature and pressure. The results are in accordance with the specified acceptance criteria