Preliminary Performance Evaluation of TRU Bearing Fuel Rod for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

As a part of developing technology to reduce the toxicity and volume of spent fuel, the preliminary design of the fuel rod (U-TRU-RE-Zr fuel slug with FMS (Ferritic-Martensitic Stainless) cladding) for Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) is in progress at KAERI. The fuel rod is designed to maintain integrity during operational states. In order to assure this, fuel design criteria are established below the experimental limit at which actual fuel damage would occur, and it is proved that the fuel design criteria are satisfied through a fuel performance analysis. In this work, fuel design criteria, performance evaluation methodology, and preliminary performance evaluation results of TRU bearing fuel rod by using LIFE-METAL code which has been developed jointly with ANL are presented. Fuel design criteria, performance evaluation methodology, and preliminary performance evaluation results of TRU bearing fuel rod for SFR were presented. Preliminary performance evaluation results met the fuel rod design criteria of fuel slug centerline temperature, cladding CDF, and cladding strain when the performance evaluation methodology was applied.