Publication

Code-to-Code Benchmarking of PCMI among High-Fidelity Fuel Performance Codes

2025

Abstract

This paper presents a benchmark study of high-fidelity fuel performance codes conducted within the European OperaHPC project. The collaboration involves EPFL, CEA, and VTT, which report results using the codes OFFBEAT, ALCYONE, and BISON, respectively. The focus of this benchmark is the analysis of pellet-cladding mechanical interaction during both base irradiation and a subsequent power ramp. The test case is a PWR rodlet consisting of ten pellets, subjected to a simplified irradiation history derived from the K11-5 ramp test. ALCYONE employs a multi-layered simulation strategy with its characteristic 3D single-fragment model for each axial slice. On the other hand, OFFBEAT and BISON adopt a 2D axisymmetric discrete-pellet approach. The evolution of cladding deformation and stress is presented through cladding displacement and equivalent stress profiles at selected time points throughout irradiation. Fuel centerline temperatures are also analyzed. The results indicate the level of agreement between the codes. Differences are discussed, and potential sources of these discrepancies are identified.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/235faca7-3f3f-4a19-8794-2969b71082c8

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

2025

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/235faca7-3f3f-4a19-8794-2969b71082c8

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Behavior of nuclear fuel during a reactor accident

This page describes how uranium dioxide nuclear fuel behaves during both normal nuclear reactor operation and under reactor accident conditions, such as overheating. Work in this area is often very expensive to conduct, and so has often been performed on a collaborative basis between groups of countries, usually under the aegis of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI). Both the fuel and cladding can swell.

Nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuel is material used in nuclear power stations to produce heat to power turbines. Heat is created when nuclear fuel undergoes nuclear fission. Most nuclear fuels contain heavy fissile actinide elements that are capable of undergoing and sustaining nuclear fission. The three most relevant fissile isotopes are uranium-233, uranium-235 and plutonium-239. When the unstable nuclei of these atoms are hit by a slow-moving neutron, they frequently split, creating two daughter nuclei and two or three more neutrons.

Zirconium alloys

Zirconium alloys are solid solutions of zirconium or other metals, a common subgroup having the trade mark Zircaloy. Zirconium has very low absorption cross-section of thermal neutrons, high hardness, ductility and corrosion resistance. One of the main uses of zirconium alloys is in nuclear technology, as cladding of fuel rods in nuclear reactors, especially water reactors. A typical composition of nuclear-grade zirconium alloys is more than 95 weight percent zirconium and less than 2% of tin, niobium, iron, chromium, nickel and other metals, which are added to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance.

Related publications (1)

Code-to-Code Benchmarking of PCMI among High-Fidelity Fuel Performance Codes

Chat with Graph Search

Multi-Fidelity Nuclear Power Plant Analysis through a Code-Agnostic FMI-Based Framework