CURRENT STATUS OF R & D OF NUCLEAR FUEL ELEMENTS FOR PWR IN INDONESIA

Transcription

1 CURRENT STATUS OF R & D OF NUCLEAR FUEL ELEMENTS FOR PWR IN INDONESIA Budi Briyatmoko, Meniek Rachmawati and Tri Yulianto Nuclear Fuel Technology Center BATAN-INDONESIA IAEA Technical Meeting on Advanced Fuel Pellet Materials and Fuel Rod Designs For Water Cooled Reactors November 2009 PSI, Villigen, Switzerland

2 Map of Indonesia

3 General information An archipelago with 17,508 islands 1.9 million square miles total Fourth most populous country in the world, 223 million people (2006), 1.49% growth rate 59% of population reside in Java, in a 7% total area 400 volcanoes, 100 active, 112 in Java island Air temperature : 27.6 to 36.8 C (day) and 14.6 to 24.6 C (night) Humidity: 63% to 83%

4 ENERGY POLICY The energy need of Indonesia is increasing due to the population growth and for the economic progress The government of Indonesia intends to apply an optimum energy mix comprising all viable prospective energy sources The Government Regulation No.5 year 2006 indicates the target of energy mix until 2025 and the share of nuclear energy is about 2% of primary energy or 4% of electricity (4000 MWe) The first two units of NPP is expected to be operated before 2020 as stated in Act No. 17 year 2007 on National Long Term Development Planning

5 PRESIDENTIAL REGULATION NO. 5 YEAR 2006 NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY ENERGI MIX GOAL 2025 Hydro Power, 3.11% Geothermal Power, 1.32% National (Primary) Energy Mix Natural Gas, 28.57% Oil 51.66% National (Primary) Energy Mix of 2025 (BaU Scenario) Power Plant, 1.9% Mini/micro Hydro Power, 0.1% Geothermal Power, 1.1% Natural Gas, 20.6% Natural Gas, 30% Coal, 15.34% National Energy Mix 2025 (Presidential Regulation Scenario) Oil, 20% Biofuel, 5% Oil, 41.7% OPTIMIZING ENERGY MANAGEMENT NRE,17% Geothermal Power, 5% Biomass, Nuclear, Hydro Solar Power, Wind Power, 5% Coal Liquefaction, 2% Coal, 34.6% Coal, 33% 20 Source : DGEEU-MEMR

6 Experimental Fuel Element Installation Experimental Fuel Element Installation (EFEI) was designed for PHWR fuel element of CIRENE type. Currently the R and D in EFEI have trend to modify the installation for PHWR and PWR fuel fabrication in one place. It has been initiated with modification of equipment necessary for PWR prototype fuel PIN fabrication. Modification is includes in pelletizing area, PIN fabrication area, and criticality nuclear safety and health physics protection. Based on the existing CIRENE pelletization technology, development is carried out by modifying the replaceable punch and dies of the compaction machine and pellet blade of the grinding machine.

7 The Power Reactor Experimental Fuel Element Installation (EFEI) BATAN was designed as an experimental facility to yield a PHWR fuel called CIRENE. The installation comprises of mainly two laboratories: 1. Pilot Conversion Plant Yellow cake to UO2 powder 2. Fuel Fabrication Laboratory (FFL)

8 Pilot Conversion Plant Uranium alam (yellow cake) Proses antara lain crushing, pengayakan, pelarutan, pemurnian, pemekatan, pengendapan, penyaringan, pengeringan, kalsinasi, reduksi, pasivasi Serbuk UO 2 murni Kapasitas produksi: 100 kg UO 2 / hari

9 FFL consists of 4 sections, namely : PELLETIZING SECTION FUEL COMPONENT SECTION FUEL ROD MANUFACTURING SECTION FUEL BUNDLE MANUFACTURING Serbuk UO 2 Pelet UO 2 Pin Berkas elemen bakar

10 Quality Control QC for Pilot Conversion Plant and Fabrication QC include density, O/U ratio, surface area, surface hardness, chemical/impurities analysis, microstructure (grain, porosity), leak test Raw material & product requirement Natural Uranium (yellow cake) Structure material & supporting material: zircaloy, graphite, berillium UO 2 powder Pellet (green & sinter) Pin Bundle

11 PELLETIZING FACILITY

12 Critical Parameter UO 2 Pellet of PWR The critical parameter that has to be control: Fissile Content Isotopic Content Uranium Content Oxygen Content Impurity Content Total Hydrogen Content Gas Content Density Densification Test Pellet Diameter Requirements Cleanliness Chip and Fissures Grain size Requirement Restricted Material Visual Standard

13 Test and Inspection Plan Flow Diagram of Pelletization UO2 UO2 Powder PREPRESSING AND AND GRANULATION HOMOGENIZATION AND DIE LUBRICANT BLENDING INCOMING INSPECTION (OR CERTIFICATE CHECK) IN-PROCESS INSPECTION FINAL INSPECTION Gambar 2. Diagram Alir Material dan Rencana Inspeksi dan Pengujian pada Peletisasi. PELLET PRESSING SINTERING CENTRELESS GRINDING WASHING AND AND DRYING FINISHED UO2 UO2 PELLETS 7 Meniek Rachmawati - PTBN

14 The change of critical parameter of UO2 pellet, i.e. a smaller pellet diameter, requires a modification in the main equipment of pelletization, i.e. replaceable punch and dies of compacting machine and UO2 pellet blade of grinding machine. The diameter is changed from UO2 pellet PHWR (18.8 mm) to UO2 pellet PWR (9 mm). The modification inevitably changes the pelletization process parameters of both compacting and sintering, and hence a comprehensive qualification of the process parameters should be conducted

15 DOUBLE ACTING FLOATING DIES COMPACTING MACHINE

16 DEVELOPED PUNCH AND DIES OF COMPACTING MACHINE FOR UO 2 PELLET OF PHWR AND PWR TYPE PHWR CIRENE (23.0 mm) PHWR (14.7 mm) PWR (11.0 mm)

17 EXPERIMENT 1. To pick up from each powder lot sample sufficient to be characterized: Bulk density. O/U ratio. Tap density. Fluorine and Chlorine content. Surface Area. Impurity content. Grain size. H2O content. Fluidity. Isotopic content. Total uranium. Sinterability. 2. Powder compaction with (1-5) ton / cm 2 using hydraulic press: To measure the green pellet density of each compaction pressure and to test its green strength. The compacting pressure is chosen based on the condition that gives the UO 2 green pellets a maximum green strength with density within the specification requirement (5 6) gram /cm Green pellets qualified were sintered at temperature between 1650 and 1780 o C for 4 hours with heating rate between 200 and 300 o C in hydrogen atmosphere

18 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 340 Green density (g/cm3) Green strength (N/cm 2 ) Compaction pressure (ton/cm2) Figure. Compaction Pressure Vs Green density & green strength of UO2 prellet

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20 Green density (g/cm 3 ) Green strength (N/cm 2 ) % Addition of TiO 2 Figure. Percentage of TiO 2 versus green density and green strength in UO 2 +TiO 2 pellet

21 Green density (g/cm 3 ) Green strength (N/cm 2 ) % Addition of GD 2 O 5 Figure. Effects of Gd 2 O 3 addition on green density and green strength on UO 2 +Gd 2 O 3 pellet

22 Grafik Hubungan antara No Pelet vs Densitas Densitas (gr/ml) No pelet Figure. Sintered density of UO 2 pellet 1700 o C, 4 hours, 250 o C/h.

23 10,6 Sintered density (g/cm3) 10,5 10,4 10,3 10,2 10, ,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 Nb2O5 V2O5 AUC % additive Figure. Sintered density vs % additive at 1400 o C, 2 hours, 250 o C/h.

24 Sintered density g/cm3 10,6 10,5 10,4 10,3 10,2 10, % Burnable poison Gd2O3 Figure. Burnable poison Gd 2 O 3 vs sintered density 1700 o C, 4 hours, 250 o C/h.

25 UO 2 pellet Microstructure of UO 2 pellet showing fine pore fraction relatively bigger than UO 2 pellet with addition of 0.2% V 2 O 5. (UO 2 + V 2 O 5 ) pellet

26 Microstructure of UO 2 pellet showing the grain size relatively smaller (average 7.9 micron) Microstructure of UO 2 pellet with 0.1 % of V 2 O 5 showing increasing grain size (average 14.4 micron)

27 Grain size (micron) Nb2O5 V2O5 AUC % additive Figure. Grain size of sintered pellet vs % additive

28 Compatibility of TIG torch of welding machine and welding box of fuel filling Welding box TIG torch

29 Experiment [17] Materials: UO pellet 2 Zircalloy-4 bar Zircalloy-4 tube Helium gas and Argon gas of high purity ( %) Equipment: Automatic Welding Machine TIG M80 3 type ** Ultrasonic Washing Machine Oxisorb Quality Control Equipment **The work for incorporating TIG torch and welding box has not finished, welding of pins is carried out using TIG M80-3 type.

30 Welding Parameter (17) Diameter of electrode : 1.6mm Material of electrode : W Th 2 % Angle of electrode : 25 Rpm velocity : 7.5 rpm Pressure in welding box : 1040 mbar Flowrate of helium gas : 10 l/second Time delay : 0.1 second Post purge time : 10 seconds Welding current (in ampere: grade I= 26, II=25,III=24, IV=23) Welding time (in second: grade I=1, II=3, III=3, IV=2, down slope= 5 ) Voltage : 17 volt

31 PIN FOR FUEL PERFORMANCE TEST IN Power Ramp Test Facility (PRTF)

32 CONCLUSION The modified of punch and dies of compacting machine and UO2 pellet blade of grinding machine can be qualified to produce UO2 pellet of PWR fuel with additives and burnable poison with the result as follow: That the compacting pressure to be qualified is chosen based on the condition that gives the UO2 pellets a maximum green strength with a density within the specification requirement will improve the compacting process capability to produce the product that full-fill the requirement consistently. The addition of the additives and burnable poison to the UO 2 powder will affect compressibility and compactibility of the UO 2 powder. The addition of the additives into UO 2 powder will be able to decrease sintered temperature and sintered time ( C and 2 hours). The addition of the additives into UO 2 powder will affect the microstructure i.e. decreasing the fine pore fraction and increasing the grain size. Hence, sintered density will reduce. The addition of burnable poison into UO 2 powder will affect the compressibility and compactibility of UO 2 powder, and sintered density.