AGR-5/6/7 CAPSULE 1 THERMAL MODEL WITH OFFSET GAS GAPS

Abstract

Fuel compact temperatures are a crucial factor in assessing the irradiation performance of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles. In the absence of direct measurement, fuel compact temperatures were calculated using a 3 D finite-element thermal model that was subject to simulation uncertainty. The most dominant factor in the uncertainty of calculated fuel temperatures is the gas gap uncertainty caused by the graphite holder nub-to-capsule clearance. This thermal model was revised to examine the most probable graphite offset position for Capsule 1 for four different days during the irradiation. In the analysis, the offset distance and azimuthal direction at both the top and bottom of the holder were varied. The best-fit offset was estimated based on the minimum root mean square error (RMSE) of the residuals (measured minus calculated thermocouple [TC] temperatures) for the operational TCs in Capsule 1. Near the end of the irradiation, when the graphite had shrunk and the gas gaps had grown, a peak temperature was found with maximum offset along the TC lines, with nickel introducing a potential mechanism for fuel particle failures.