Behaviour of irradiated PHWR fuel pins during high temperature heating

Fuel pins removed from an irradiated pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) fuel bundle discharged after an extended burn up of 15,000 MWd/tU have been subjected to isothermal heating tests in temperature range 700–1300 °C inside hot-cells. The heating of the fuel pins was carried out using a specially designed remotely operable furnace, which allowed localized heating of about 100 mm length of the fuel pin at one end under flowing argon gas or in air atmosphere. Post-test examination performed in the hot-cells included visual examination, leak testing, dimension measurement and optical and scanning electron microscopy. Fuel pins having internal pressure of 2.1–2.7 MPa due to fission gas release underwent ballooning and micro cracking during heating for 10 min at 800 °C and 900 °C but not at 700 °C. Fuel pin heated at 1300 °C showed complete disruption of cladding in heating zone, due to the embrittlement of the cladding. The examination of fuel from the pin tested at 1300 °C showed presence of large number of bubbles; both intragranular as well as intergranular bubbles. Details of the experiments and the results are presented in this paper.