Safety assessment of the fuel assembly drop accident in the core of Tehran Research Reactor (2)

Roostaii, Bahareh; Rokrok, Behrouz

doi:10.24200/nst.2024.1611.2040

Safety assessment of the fuel assembly drop accident in the core of Tehran Research Reactor (2)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Bahareh Roostaii

Behrouz Rokrok

NSTRI

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2024.1611.2040

Abstract

In this research, a drop accident for a fuel assembly in Tehran research reactor on other fuel assembles inside the reactor core is analyzed mechanically during fuel shuffling or loading. The purpose of the analysis is to ensure the structural integrity of fuel assembly during this incident. In this simulation, the ABAQUS software is applied for collision analysis. Three modes are considered for a fuel assembly and its collision with another assembly inside the core. It includes the vertical and symmetrical impact of an assembly on top of another assembly; the second, vertical and asymmetric impact of an assembly on top of another assembly; and the third, vertical impact of an assembly of one assembly to the fuel side plate of another assembly in the reactor core. The stress analysis showed that in the first and second cases, the falling fuel assembly first hits the Handling Pin in the upper part of the target fuel assembly, and with its resilience, the fuel plate is protected against external impact force. But in the third case, the fuel side plates are damaged and there is a possibility of losing its integrity.

Keywords

Research reactor

Fuel assembly

Drop accident

ABAQUS software

Stress analysis

Main Subjects