Analysis of Reactor Fuel Rod Behaviour

The analysis of the behavior of light water reactor (LWR) fuel rods is described.The properties of relevant fuel and cladding materials are discussed and numerical data are given. The basic phenomena taking place in pellet-in-cladding nuclear reactor fuel are described systematically, including neutronic aspect of the fuel, the thermal and mechanical behavior, the fission gas behavior, and radiation effects. Finally typical phenomena and issues in the design and licensing of LWR fuels and their effects on fuel behavior are discussed: the high burnup structure, pellet-cladding interaction, pellet-coolant interaction, loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCA), and reactivity-initiated accidents (RIA).JRC.DG.E.3-Materials researc