Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
2003 International RERTR Meeting

FULL-SIZED PLATES IRRADIATION WITH HIGH UMo fuel loading
- Final results of iris 1 experiment -

F. Huet, V. Marelle, J. Noirot,

Commissariat à l'énergie Atomique – Cadarache
13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex- France

and

P. Sacristan, P. Lemoine
Commissariat à l'énergie Atomique – Saclay
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex - France

ABSTRACT

As a part of the French UMo Group qualification program, IRIS 1 experiment contained full-sized plates with high uranium loading in the meat of 8 g.cm^-3. The fuel particles consisted of 7 and 9 wt% Mo-uranium alloys ground powders. The plate were irradiated at OSIRIS reactor in IRIS device up to 67.5% peak burnup within the range of 136 W.cm ^-2  for the heat flux and 72°C for the cladding temperature.

After each reactor cycle the plates thickness were measured. The results show no swelling behaviour differences versus burnup between UMo7 and UMo9 plates. The maximum plate swelling for peak burnup location remains lower than 6%.

The wide set of PIE has shown that, within the studied irradiation conditions, the interaction product have a global formulation of "(U-Mo)Al_-7" and that there is no aluminium dissolution in UMo particles.

IRIS1 experiment, as the first step of the UMo fuel qualification for research reactor, has established the good behaviour of UMo7 and UMo9 high uranium loading full-sized plate within the tested conditions.

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