Measurement of the Volume, Pressure, and Composition of Gases Inside a Bulge in Irradiated Fuel Elements with Uranium-Molybdenum Dispersion Fuel

Abstract

One of the stages preceding the failure of fuel elements in research reactors with uranium-molybdenum dispersion fuel is the formation of bulges in the fuel-element cladding with accumulation of gaseous fission products in them. It is impossible to validate the operational safety of fuel elements with such fuel if the behavior of gaseous fission products under such conditions is not understood. The results of experimental determination of the free volume of bulges and the volume, composition, and pressure of the gaseous fission products in them are presented.