Computer Simulation of the Behaviour and Performance of a CANDU Fuel Rod

Abstract

At the Argentine Atomic Energy Commission (Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, CNEA) the BACO code (for "BArra COmbustible", fuel rod) was developed. It allows the simulation of the thermo-mechanical performance of a cylindrical fuel rod in a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). The standard present version of the code (2.30), is a powerful tool for a relatively easy and complete evaluation of fuel behaviour predictions. Input parameters and, therefore, output ones may include statistical dispersion. As a demonstration of BACO capabilities we include a review of CANDU fuel applications, and the calculation and a parametric analysis of a characteristic CANDU fuel.