Experimental investigation on the causes for pellet fragmentation under LOCA conditions

This paper addresses a separate effect experiment performed with irradiated fuel to study fuel fragmentation and fission gas release during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The paper presents a qualitative and quantitative investigation of the effects of the removal of the geometrical constraint provided by the cladding and the removal of the constraint given by the rod internal pressure in determining the extent of fuel fragmentation and fission gas release during a LOCA for fuel segments with a burnup of approximately 52 MWd/kgU. A review of previous LOCA tests was the starting point for the identification of these constraints and for the selection of the fuel rod burnup, the experiment's procedure and the boundary conditions. An out-of-pile test was considered representative for the scope, and the experiment was performed at the Halden Reactor Project hot cell in Kjeller (Norway) with heat provided by an electric oven. Three fuel rod segments were studied: 1) a fuel segment that experienced only ballooning without burst, 2) a fuel segment that experienced ballooning and burst and 3) a fuel segment that experienced neither ballooning nor burst. The neutron radiography and fuel fragment sifting showed that both cladding constraint and internal pressure play a role in the formation of fuel cracks and fragmentation, and the study of the fission gas release during the transient showed that removing the cladding constraint or the internal pressure increased the amount of fission gas release. - Highlights: • LOCA separate effects test performed in the hot cell of the Halden Reactor Project. • Cladding ballooning enhances fuel pellet cracks and fragmentation. • The occurrence of burst enhances fuel pellet cracks and fragmentation. • Cladding ballooning and burst increase the transient fission gas release.