LOFT fuel design and operating experience

The objective of the LOFT fuel design and fabrication effort was to provide a pressurized water reactor core that has (1) materials and geometric features to ensure that heat transfer, hydraulic, mechanical, chemical, metallurgical and nuclear behaviors are typical of large pressurized water reactors (PWR) during the loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) sequence and (2) test instrumentation for measurement of core conditions. The LOFT core is unique because it is designed for exposure to several LOCAs without loss of function. This paper summarizes the design effort and extent to which the design objectives have been achieved