Fuel performance in the Barsebeck boiling water reactors (Unit 1 and 2)

Sydkraft is the largest privately owned utility in Sweden. It serves about 20% of the Swedish population with about 12 TWh of electric power per year, of which 64% is nuclear (1978 figures). The two identical 590 MWE ASEA-ATOM boiling water reactors in Barsebeck have been in operation since 1975 and 1977 respectively. Fission product activity in the primary circuits and in the off-gas systems is extremely low and indicate a near perfect fuel condition. Operating restrictions limiting the effect of pellet cladding interaction have been in use since initial start-up and testing. A few events involving rapid power increases above the preconditioned power level have occurred without causing fuel failures. It is believed that an analysis of power reactor operational transients, which did not cause fuel failures, can be useful to design more adequate and less conservative rules for the operation of nuclear reactor cores