Effect of thermal and mechanical properties of the Dupic fuel on the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction

The material properties of DUPIC fuel, such as thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, creep rate, Young's modulus and hot hardness were measured using simulated DUPIC fuel to evaluate their effects on the irradiation behaviour such as the pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI). Experimentally characterised properties of the DUPIC fuel were employed in the performance evaluation code and the finite element analysis to estimate the ridge height, plastic strain of the cladding, and the hoop stress of the pellet and the cladding. Some fuel fabrication parameters were suggested for optimisation for a decrease in the PCMI of the DUPIC fuel as a result of a statistical sensitivity analysis. (authors)