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In this paper, the design stress intensity values for the plate-type fuel assembly for research reactor are presented. Through a tensile test, the material properties of the cladding (aluminum alloy 6061) and structural material (aluminum alloy 6061-T6), in this case the yield and ultimate tensile strengths, Young’s modulus and the elongation, are measured with the temperatures. The empirical equations of the material properties with respect to the temperature are presented. The cladding undergoes several heat treatments and hardening processes during the fabrication process. Cladding strengths are reduced compared to those of the raw material during annealing. Up to a temperature of 150 °C, the strengths of the cladding do not significantly decrease due to the dislocations generated from the cold work. However, over 150 °C, the mechanical strengths begin to decrease, mainly due to recrystallization, dislocation recovery and precipitate growth. Taking into account the uncertainty of the 95% probability and 95% confidence level, the design stress intensities of the cladding and structural materials are established. The presented design stress intensity values become the basis of the stress design criteria for a safety analysis of plate-type fuels.

When a new fuel is developed, various mechanical properties are absolutely necessary for a safety analysis of the fuel for the licensing and prediction of its mechanical behavior during operation and accident conditions. In this paper, a mechanically equivalent surrogate plate of UMo dispersion fuel is presented using tungsten, substitute material of UMo particle. A surrogate plate, composed of tungsten/aluminum dispersion meat and aluminum alloy cladding, is manufactured with the same fabrication process with that of fuel plate except that a tungsten powder is used instead of UMo powder. A modal test showed that the surrogate plate and fuel plate have similar dynamic characteristics, and a tensile test demonstrated the similarity of the material property up to the yield strength range. The conducted tests proved that the surrogate tungsten plate has equivalent mechanical behaviors with that of a fuel plate, which leads to the acceptable use of a surrogate fuel assembly using tungsten/aluminum dispersion meat in various mechanical tests. The surrogate fuel assembly can be utilized for various out-of-pile characteristic tests, which are necessary for the licensing achievement of a research reactor that uses UMo dispersion fuel as a driver. Keywords: Mechanically equivalent surrogate plate, UMo dispersion fuel, Tungsten, Modal test, Tensile test, KJRR (Ki-Jang research reactor)

In this research, a drop impact analysis of a fuel assembly in a research reactor is carried out to determine whether the fuel plate integrity is maintained in a drop accident. A fuel assembly drop accident is classified based on where the accident occurs, i.e., inside or outside the reactor, since each occasion results in a different impact load on the fuel assembly. An analysis procedure suitable for each drop situation is systematically established. For an accident occurring outside the reactor, the direct impact of a fuel assembly on the pool bottom is analyzed using implicit and explicit approaches. The effects of the key parameters, such as the impact velocity and structural damping ratios, are also studied. For an accident occurring inside the reactor, the falling fuel assembly may first hit the fixing bar at the upper part of the standing fuel assembly. To confirm the fuel plate integrity, a fracture of the fixing bar should be investigated, since the fixing bar plays a role in protecting the fuel plate from the external impact force. Through such an analysis, the suitability of an impact analysis procedure associated with the drop situation in the research reactor is shown.

The construction project of the Kijang research reactor (KJRR), which is the second research reactor in Korea, has been launched. The KJRR was designed to use, for the first time, U–Mo fuel. Plate-type U–7 wt.% Mo/Al–5 wt.% Si, referred to as U–7Mo/Al–5Si, dispersion fuel with a uranium loading of 8.0 gU/cm3, was selected to achieve higher fuel efficiency and performance than are possible when using U3Si2/Al dispersion fuel. To qualify the U–Mo fuel in terms of plate geometry, the first miniplates [HANARO Miniplate (HAMP-1)], containing U–7Mo/Al–5Si dispersion fuel (8 gU/cm3), were fabricated at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute and recently irradiated at HANARO. The PIE (Post-irradiation Examination) results of the HAMP-1 irradiation test were analyzed in depth in order to verify the safe in-pile performance of the U–7Mo/Al–5Si dispersion fuel under the KJRR irradiation conditions. Nondestructive analyses included visual inspection, gamma spectrometric mapping, and two-dimensional measurements of the plate thickness and oxide thickness. Destructive PIE work was also carried out, focusing on characterization of the microstructural behavior using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electron probe microanalysis was also used to measure the elemental concentrations in the interaction layer formed between the U–Mo kernels and the matrix. A blistering threshold test and a bending test were performed on the irradiated HAMP-1 miniplates that were saved from the destructive tests. Swelling evaluation of the U–Mo fuel was also conducted using two methods: plate thickness measurement and meat thickness measurement.