Evaluation of the CABRI Rep-Na8 RIA-simulation experiments with the FREY fuel performance code

This paper provides an analytical assessment of RIA-simulation experiment, Rep-Na8, performed at CABRI(Rep-Na) test facilities in 1997. The test rod was refabricated from high burnup commercial UO2 fuel rods segments with 60 GWd/tU burnup. The assessment consisted of two key tasks: 1) a review of the experiment data, which included available PIE reports, and 2) analysis of the experiments using the FREY fuel performance code to evaluate the thermal and mechanical behaviour of the test rod during and following the power pulse. The objective of this evaluation was to investigate the processes leading to cladding failure in high burnup fuel during RIA-simulation experiment