Studying the Effects of End Plate Phenomena on the Deformation of 37-Element CANDU® Fuel Bundles using Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

The CANDU industry is interested in the development of fuel bundle models capable of predicting deformation under a variety of reactor conditions. The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) has been developing models since 2015 to demonstrate feasibility of representing various deformation phenomena within the bundle. The impact from end plates on this deformation through orientation, geometry, loading, and fuel element connections is one subset of factors that is not yet well understood. Being the primary structure connecting all fuel elements within a bundle, an understanding of end plate effects and how to properly represent them are critical for accurate modeling. Building upon RMC’s existing research, the relationship between end plates and bundle deformation is comprehensively investigated for the first time.