A new mechanistic code SFPR for modeling of single fuel rod performance under various regimes of LWR operation

Highlights: → Mechanistic modeling of single fuel rod behavior under various regimes of LWR reactor operation. → Coupling of two mechanistic codes MFPR and S/Q initially designed for accident conditions. → Models verification against separate-effect tests. → Code verification against reactor test CONTACT 1 with instrumented fuel rods. - Abstract: A new mechanistic code SFPR for modeling of single fuel rod behavior under various regimes of LWR reactor operation (normal and off-normal, including severe accidents) is under development at IBRAE. The code is designed by coupling of two stand-alone mechanistic codes MFPR (for modeling of irradiated UO2 fuel behavior and fission product release) and SVECHA/QUENCH, or S/Q (for modeling of Zr cladding thermo-mechanical and physico-chemical behavior). Both codes were initially designed for accident conditions (and for this reason, are rather mechanistic) and later extended to various normal operation conditions. On the base of thorough validation against various out-of-pile and in-pile experiments, development of an advanced fuel performance code for best estimate code calculations for both normal and off-normal LWR operation regimes is foreseen.