CANDU Type Fuel Behaviour Evaluation - A Probabilistic Approach

Abstract

In order to realistically assess the behavior of the fuel elements during in-reactor operation, probabilistic methods have recently been introduced in the analysis of fuel performance. The present paper summarizes the achievements in this field at the Institute for Nuclear Research(INR), pointing out some advantages of the utilized method in the evaluation of CANDU type fuel behavior in steady state conditions. The Response Surface Method (RSM) has been selected for the investigation of the effects of the variability in fuel element computer code inputs on the code outputs (fuel element performance parameters). A new developed version of the probabilistic code APMESRA based on RSM is briefly presented. The examples of application include the analysis of the results of an in-reactor fuel element experiment and the investigation of the calculated performance parameter distribution for a new CANDU type extended burnup fuel element design.