No abstract available

[en] Whereas the solutions for managing intact spent fuel assemblies are well-known, a specific technical solution must be implemented for managing the defective spent fuel assemblies as well. Reprocessing the defective fuel assemblies is the most decisive way to get rid of them as there is then no need to assess the behavior of this specific type of fuel assemblies in the long-term. Defective used fuel assemblies have been and are being today safely reprocessed with specific administrative or technical measures for some of them. When reprocessing is not the preferred option, the nuclear operator must implement dry storage of the defective fuel assemblies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the existing solutions for the dry storage of all types of defective fuel assemblies. A long-term dry storage solution for defective fuel assemblies is being developed, compliant with direct disposal safety requirements. The solution is based on the dry encapsulation of each defective fuel rod into a fuel rod capsule, followed by its transfer into a capsule canister (like a fuel assembly skeleton), which is replacing a fuel assembly position of the transport and storage cask, and the associated specific licensing approach: this is the best available technology regarding long term storage safety requirements

[en] This thesis is a result of test of a number of nuclear fuel rods which have not been used for a long time due to leakage of radioactivity. Water was circulated through each fuel rod in a test cylinder and radioactivity in water was measured. It was found that the detection of Cesium-137 which has a long half-life, does not indicate the extent of leakage of short-lived radioisotopes, some of which are gaseous. These gases are harmful to the reactor operators and users. A better result was obtained by placing the failed fuel rod in the test cylinder close to the reactor to induce fission. Short half-life gases or other nuclides of the same series were then directly measured

[en] The Breached Fuel Test Facility (BFTF) is a multipurpose experimental facility, designed to provide the capability to conduct and monitor safety and fuel behavior experiments under more severe conditions than previously allowed in EBR-II. The BFTF has the capability to measure flow, temperature, particle size distribution and deposition, and delayed neutron levels for breach site characterization. This paper describes the design, the instrumentation, the operational safety concerns and the initial experiments. 3 refs

[en] The Damage Parameter (DP) empirical correlation of fuel pin cladding failure thresholds for TOP events has been revised and recorrelated to the results of twelve TREAT tests. The revised correlation, called the Failure Potential (FP) correlation, predicts failure times for the tests in the data base with an average error of 35 ms for $3/s tests and of 150 ms for 50 cents/s tests

No abstract available

[en] Short communication

[en] Short communication

[en] Two inner and two outer N-Reactor MKIV fuel elements were subjected to calculated maximum loss-of-coolant thermal transients. The fuels were heated inductively in air at one atmosphere pressure. Pertinent failure temperature and burnup data are presented

[en] The thermomechanical behaviour of an hexagonal can in a benchmark problem (simulating the conditions of a BTI accident in a fuel assembly) is examined by means of the INCA code and the results systematically compared with those of ADINA