Fuel cladding damage assessment based on reactivity insertion accidents for a 10 MWth LBE cooled fast reactor

Highlights: • A detailed RELAP5 model is established for the 10 MWth LBE cooled reactor. • The evolution of the reactor parameters is simulated under the RIA conditions. • The maximum cladding temperature for the RIA is below its temperature limit. • The inherent safety of the reactor is proved for its negative feedback. - Abstract: Fuel cladding integrity affects the safety and economy of nuclear reactors, especially in accident condition. In this paper, based on the reactivity insertion accident (RIA) analysis, the fuel cladding damage has been analyzed for a 10 MWth LBE cooled fast reactor developed by Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety and Technology (INEST) using RELAP5. Simulation was carried out for control rod withdrawal accident with a reactivity insertion rate of 50.19 pcm/s for 4 s, both for scram and without scram. During the control rod withdrawal accident without scram, the highest cladding temperature was 714 °C, which was below the temperature limit of cladding integrity. It is concluded that the RIA will not cause reactor safety violation due to the reactor's inherent safety feature.