CNS Fuel Technology Course:

Fuel Design Requirements

CANDU FUEL TECHNOLOGY COURSE
2008 J anuary
Al Manzer CANTECH Associates
Pg 2
Outline
Original Design Criteria and CANDU Fuel History
Fuel Element Design Features (see notes)
Fuel Bundle Design Features (see notes)
Fuel Design Requirements for 1970s
Fuel Design Requirements for 1980s
Fuel Design Requirements for 1990s+
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Introduction (cont.)
The design is verified by a number of methods:
Engineering analysis
Simulation bymodelling.
Materials tests.
Type testing.
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Birth of CANDU Fuel (1950s)
Original NPD Reactor Design in 1954:
10 MWPlant
Vertical pressure vessel
Off-power refuelling
Long fuel assemblies (=core length)
Uraniummetal as fuel material
Stainless steel fuel cladding being considered
NPD redesigned, construction halted in 1957:
20 MWPlant
Horizontal with Zralloy pressure tubes
On-power refuelling
Short fuel bundles (19.5 inches long)
UraniumOxide ceramic as fuel material
Zralloy fuel cladding
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Criteria for Fuel Development (1950s)
W.B. Lewis stated that CANDU Fuel:
Must be safe, reliable, low risk of release of radioactive fission
products
no systematic fuel failures
Must have good neutron economy, i.e.,
low neutron absorption materials
Must meet power specifications, i.e.,
1 MWper fuel bundle
no distortion in 1-4 years in-reactor
Must be easily handled
Must be cheap
1 mils/kWh (0.1 cents/kWh)
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CANDU Fuel Bundle Types (Past)
7 Element NPD(1st
Charge)
19 Element (9
reactors)
18 Element CANDU BLW
(1 reactor)
NPD
Raps 1
NPD Raps 2
KANUPP Maps 1
Douglas Point Maps 2
Naps 1
Naps 2
Gentilly1
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CANDU Fuel Bundle Types (Present)
28 Element Pickering
(8 reactors)
37 Element
Bruce/Darlington
(12 reactors)
37 Element CANDU 6
(10 reactors)
Pickering 1 Pickering 5
Pickering 2 Pickering 6
Pickering 3 Pickering 7
Pickering 4 Pickering 8
Bruce 1 Bruce 5 Darlington 1
Bruce 2 Bruce 6 Darlington 2
Bruce 3 Bruce 7 Darlington 3
Bruce 4 Bruce 8 Darlington 4
Pt Lepreau Gentilly2
Embalse Wolsong 1-4
Cernavoda Qinshan 1-2
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CANDU Fuel Bundle Types (Present)
43 Element CANFLEX LVRF
(replacing 37 Element in
Bruce B)
AECL/KAERI/Bruce
Power Project
Demonstration Irradiation started 2006 in Bruce B
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Fuel Design Requirements (1970s)
CANDU Fuel must meet the requirements imposed by the
reactor interfacing systems:
Heat Transport System(or Primary Coolant
Circuit)
Fuel Channels
Fuel Handling Systems
Fuel Management(Nuclear Design, or Reactor
Physics)
Reactor interfacing systemsmust meet requirements imposed
by CANDU Fuel
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Fuel Duty Cycle
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Heat Transport System Requirements
on Fuel Design
1. The pressure drop over fuel bundles in each fuel channel must
be compatible with the design allowance of the heat transport
system.
2. The fuel must withstand flow induced vibration.
3. The thermal performance of the bundle must be acceptable for
all normal operating conditions.
4. The fuel elements must withstand the coolant pressure during
normal operation.
5. The fuel elements must contain fission products during normal
operation.
6. The uraniumcontamination on surfaces of the as-manufactured
fuel bundles must be minimized.
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Fuel Channel
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Fuel Channel Requirements
on Fuel Design
1. The bearing pads must not reduce the wall thickness of
the pressure tube below the design allowance.
2. The fuel bundle must withstand the loads caused by the
coolant hydraulic drag (and the fuelling machine ram).
3. The fuel bundle must not jamin the fuel channel.
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Full Length Fuel Channel
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CANDU 6 Fuelling Scheme
FLOW --->
1 2 3 4 5 6
SHIELD PLUG REMOVED, 1st BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
1st NEW BUNDLE SWEPT BY COOLANT REFUELLING IMPACT
N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
2nd NEW BUNDLE PUSHED INTO POSITION
N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
2nd BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
3rd BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
FUEL COLUMN DISPLACED TO ALLOW F/M MAGAZINE ROTATION
N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
4th BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
N N N N N N N N
N N N N N N
F/M RAM STOPS AT CORE LINE, COOLANT DRAG PUSHES FUEL
N N N N
N N
SHIELD PLUGS RELOADED AND LOCKED
N N N N N N
FUELLING MACHINE ENDFITTING
AXIAL F
7 8 9 10 11 12
SHIELD PLUG UNLOCKED
7 8 9 10 11 12
7 8 9 10 11 12
7 8 9 10 11 12
7 8 9 10 11 12
7 8 9 10 11 12
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
SIDESTOPS INSERTED SHIELD PLUG UNLOADED
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1st BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2nd BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3rd BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
4th BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
SHIELD PLUG READY FOR LOADING
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3 4
N N 1 2 3 4
CORE ENDFITTING FUELLING MACHINE
FLOW REGION
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Fuel Loading Sequence (Upstream End)
SHIELD PLUG REMOVED, 1st BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N 1 2 3
1st NEW BUNDLE SWEPT BY COOLANT REFUELLING IMPACT
N N 1 2 3
2nd NEW BUNDLE PUSHED INTO POSITION
N N 1 2 3
2nd BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N 1 2 3
3rd BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N N N 1 2 3
FUEL COLUMN DISPLACED TO ALLOW F/M MAGAZINE ROTATION
N N N N N N 1 2 3
4th BUNDLE PAIR LOADED
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3
FLOW --->
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Fuel Unloading Sequence (Downstream End)
Bundle 12 loaded against
Sidestops
Bundle 4 loaded against
Sidestops
SIDESTOPS INSERTED SHIELD PLUG UNLOADED
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1st BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
2nd BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
3rd BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
4th BUNDLE PAIR UNLOADED
N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6
SHIELD PLUG READY FOR LOADING
N N N N 1 2 3 4
2 3 4
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Fuel Unloading Sequence (Upstream End)
Bundle 12 loaded against
Sidestops
Coolant Drag >Friction
Bundle 4 loaded against
Sidestops
N N N N N N N N 1 2
N N N N N N N N
N N N N N N
N N N N
N N
N N N N N N N N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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Fuel Handling System Requirements
on Fuel Design
1. The fuel bundle must not jamin the fuel handling systems.
2. Duringrefuelling, the fuel bundle must withstand the loads caused
by cross flow in the liner hole region of theendfittings.
3. The fuel bundle must withstandrefuellingimpacts.
4. The fuel bundle must have sufficient flexibility to allow for differential
expansion of the fuel elements and parallelogramming(or tilt of
bundle)within a sagged pressure tube.
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Fuel Management Requirements
on Fuel Design
1. The ends of the fuel bundles must minimize neutron absorption and
withstand end flux peaking due to the gap between the UO
2
in
adjacent bundles.
2. The fuel bundles must be able to operate at high powers
continuously.
3. The fuel bundle must withstand power changes due to refuelling and
movement of the reactivity control mechanismsrefuellingimpacts.
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Fuel Design Requirements
on Other Systems
1. The interfacing systems must not cause systematic fuel failures.
(translates to at least 22 specific requirements!)
2. The components of the fuel channel and fuel handling systems must
have sufficient allowance to protect against damage due to the
interaction of fuel. (translates to at least 4 specific requirements!)
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Fuel Design Requirements (1980s)
1. In response to the seismic requirements of a potential
CANDU reactor client, AECL agreed to include one more
fuel design requirement
2. Fuel bundle must be able to withstand seismic loads while
inside the pressure boundary of the heat transport system.
For a design basis earthquake, the fuel must maintain
coolable geometry and the fuel elements must contain
fission products.
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Fuel Design Requirements (1990s+)
In recent years some CANDU users (Bruce Power) have
developed new requirements for fuel which may require new
design features:
1. Higher operating margins for dryout.
2. Lower power pulses during Loss of coolant accidents.
3. Lower coolant void reactivity (Fuel enrichment, burnable
poisons)
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