Irradiation Performance of Fast Reactor MOX Fuel Assemblies Irradiated to High Burnups

Mixed oxide fuel assemblies (MFA-1 and MFA-2 assemblies) were irradiated in the fast flux test facility to evaluate the irradiation performance of fast reactor core fuels at high burnups and high fast neutron fluences. The MFA-1 and MFA-2 assemblies achieved respective peak pellet burnups of 147 and 162GWd/t, and resisted to respective peak fast neutron fluences (E > 0:1 MeV) of 21:4 _ 1026 and 23:8 _ 1026 n/m2, without any indication of fuel pin breaching. Structural components of these assemblies were made of modified type 316 stainless steel and 15Cr-20Ni base advanced austenitic stainless steel. Postirradiation examinations of these assemblies revealed dimensional changes of fuel pins and assembly ducts due to irradiation-induced void swelling and irradiation creep, and fuel cladding local oval distortions due to bundle-duct interaction (BDI). The swelling resistance of 15Cr-20Ni base advanced austenitic stainless steel fuel pin cladding was almost the same as that of the modified type 316 stainless steel cladding, while the assembly duct of the former material had a slightly higher swelling resistance than that of the latter material. Analyses of fuel pin bundle deformations indicated that these assemblies likely mitigate BDI mainly by fuel pin bowings and cladding oval distortions.