BISON validation to in situ cladding burst test and high-burnup LOCA experiments

The process for developing and qualifying nuclear fuels commercial application requires fundamental material development, characterization, design; out-of-pile testing on unirradiated materials; integral fuel rod irradiations, testing, postirradiation examinations; transient analyses. historical approach depends the generation of large empirical datasets series this ultimately takes ∼20 years—or sometimes longer—to acquire data through extensive sequential testing. Thus, qualification eventual deployment new systems constitute a long process. However, recent technological advancements have provided researchers opportunity to perform out-of-cell, in situ measurements assess performance duration experiment. One such example capability is use digital image coordination thermal imaging Zircaloy cladding under simulated loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) condition. In generally provide high-fidelity strain, strain rates, temperature surface maps. This critical US industry, which actively technical basis support extending peak average burnup from 62 ∼75 GWd/tU accident-tolerant fuel. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) outlined its research information letter several issues that industry must address before burnup. topic specific interest understanding balloon rupture geometry during LOCA heat-up phase. By leveraging these advanced capabilities, work used generated better understand high-temperature creep effect performance. BISON code model predictions with data.