METHOD OF EVALUATING QUALITY AND BEHAVIOUR OF FUEL PELLETS UNDER VARIOUS MODES OF NUCLEAR REACTOR OPERATION Russian patent published in 2010 - IPC G21C3/00 

FIELD: power industry.

SUBSTANCE: method consists in measuring geometry and density of sintered ground pellets, in their repeated thermal treatment at stage of isothermal conditioning and in evaluation of changes of geometry and density. Also modes of reactor operation are simulated in the process of repeated heat treatment at the stage of isothermal conditioning by means of carrying out cycles of cooling-heating. Number of cooling-heating cycles is set either with number of reactor power manoeuvres, or with number of reactor trips under real conditions; while parametres of cycles (rate of cooling, heating etc) are determined with parametres of simulated modes. Integrity of pellets thereupon is evaluated.

EFFECT: facilitating evaluation and prediction of pellets and fuel elements condition at any stage, and on this base predicting reactor operation regardless of number of power manoeuvres and number of reactor trips; also obtaining data on pellet properties facilitating their usage as fuel under transient modes of reactor operation.

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