The AVR as a test bed for fuel elements

One of the important tasks of the AVR experimental power-station was the testing of the spherical fuel elements, which had been newly developed and were used for the first time here. This testing in the AVR differs from the previous irradiation tests in material testing reactors by the fact that fuel elements from mass production were used here in large numbers. It took place in the genuine operating conditions of a nuclear powerstation. This included particularly the mechanical stesses due to fuelling equipment, the chemical interactions with the impurities of the cooling gas, accelerated by the catalytic effect of fission products. This also included the charge of temperature and power due to load changes of the powerstation and due to the fuel elements passing through the reactor several times. (orig.)