US 11,670,429 B2
Method for calculating a PCI margin associated with a loading pattern of a nuclear reactor, associated system, computer program and medium
Gilles Andre Poyaud, Lyons (FR); and Isabelle Galland, Lyons (FR)
Assigned to Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, Herzogenaurach (DE)
Filed by FRAMATOME, Courbevoie (FR)
Filed on Mar. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/697,887.
Application 17/697,887 is a continuation of application No. 16/312,280, granted, now 11,342,088, previously published as PCT/EP2017/065110, filed on Jun. 20, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. 16 01000 (FR), filed on Jun. 22, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0254532 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G21D 3/00 (2006.01); G21C 3/04 (2006.01); G21C 7/00 (2006.01); G21C 17/00 (2006.01); G21C 19/20 (2006.01)
CPC G21D 3/001 (2013.01) [G21C 3/047 (2019.01); G21C 7/00 (2013.01); G21C 17/00 (2013.01); G21C 19/205 (2013.01); G21D 3/004 (2019.01); Y02E 30/30 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for calculating a pellet-cladding interaction margin associated with a loading pattern of a nuclear reactor comprising a core in which fuel assemblies are loaded according to the loading pattern, the fuel assemblies comprising fuel rods each including nuclear fuel pellets and a cladding surrounding the pellets,
the method being implemented by a computer and comprising the following steps:
b) calculating a reference principal pellet-cladding interaction margin for a reference loading pattern of the fuel assemblies in the core,
c) calculating a reference secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin for the reference loading pattern,
d) calculating a modified secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin for a modified loading pattern of the fuel assemblies in the core,
e) calculating a modified principal pellet-cladding interaction margin for the modified loading pattern, depending on a comparison of the modified secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin with the reference secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin;
the method further comprising controlling, by the computer, the state of the power balance of the nuclear reactor by using the calculated principal pellet-cladding interaction margin for a considered loading pattern of the fuel assemblies in the core to avoid rupture by pellet-cladding interaction of the claddings present in the core,
wherein when the modified secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin is greater than or equal to the reference secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin, the modified principal pellet-cladding interaction margin is equal to the reference principal pellet-cladding interaction margin, and
when the modified secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin is less than the reference secondary pellet-cladding interaction margin, the modified principal pellet-cladding interaction margin is less than the reference principal pellet-cladding interaction margin.