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DOE OSTI · 3403165

Update on Radiochemical Assessment of High Burnup Commercially Irradiated Fuel

Harp, Jason [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000253458440)·Jones, Matt [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000265894506)·Keever, Tamara (Tammy) [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000212683879)·Capps, Nathan [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]
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Abstract

This work documents an effort to collect burnup measurements on a high burnup rod, designated 6XV, and first cycle accident tolerant fuel (ATF) rod, designated 47I, to enable benchmarking of fuel performance codes and neutronics codes. In addition to measurements, Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) full-core-depletion analysis was also performed for the rods that were experimentally analyzed to provide an opportunity for code validation. This effort focuses on collecting data from rods irradiated at Byron Generating Station and shipped to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) hot-cells. This data will also anchor non-destructive examination evaluations of burnup of the various fuel rods undergoing postirradiation examination (PIE) at ORNL. Previous PIE of these fuel rods provides some guidance on the burnup trend across the fuel. Axial gamma spectroscopy scans provide a measure of relative changes in burnup across a fuel pin. Mass spectrometry based burnup measurements performed for this work at specific axial locations in the fuel are fully quantitative. By combining the mass spectrometry data with the gamma scans it is possible to more quantitatively evaluate axial variations in burnup across the entire fuel pin [1]. The combined set of burnup evaluations will be made available to other organizations that have an interest in high burnup radiochemistry data for validation of neutronic simulations and source term evaluation such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

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BibTeXRIS

Harp, Jason [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000253458440), Jones, Matt [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000265894506), Keever, Tamara (Tammy) [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000212683879), Capps, Nathan [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)]. 2026-07-01. Update on Radiochemical Assessment of High Burnup Commercially Irradiated Fuel. https://doi.org/10.2172/3403165

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