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Detailed Program
Paper Number : ST-P05
Time Frame : 12:00~13:30
Presentation Date : Friday, 28, November
Session Name : Structural Ceramics & Refractory Materials
Session Chair 1# : -
Session Chair 2# : -
Thermodynamic Assessment of UO2 Nuclear Fuel Pellet Oxidation in Air, Steam, and H2 Mixture Atmosphere
Dr. Dongjoo Kim
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
If a loss-of-coolant accident in a spent nuclear fuel pool occurs, it can bring about a massive failure owing to a drastic increase in the temperature of the spent nuclear fuel. In addition, the possibility of an external leakage of a significant amount of radioactive materials can increase. Under a loss-of-coolant accident, an air and/or steam oxidation reaction of the spent nuclear fuel leads to a failure of the fuel cladding, and an air and/or steam oxidation of the spent fuel pellet will follow. The oxidized spent fuel pellet will be expanded and pulverized, and a failure of the fuel cladding can additionally take place. In this work, to predict the oxidation behavior of a UO2 nuclear fuel pellet under a loss-of-coolant accident in a spent nuclear fuel pool of an LWR, thermodynamic assessments of UO2 oxidation were carried out. To simulate the accident scenario, an assessment of UO2 pellet oxidation under various atmospheres (air, steam, H2, and a mixture) is required. In an air and steam mixture atmosphere, the UO2 oxidation was dominantly affected by the air volumetric fraction, because of the relatively higher oxygen partial pressure of air. In addition, the critical value of the hydrogen volumetric fraction affecting the reduction of UO2 oxidation was calculated.
Acknowledgements : This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2013000720).