Sensitivity study on Xe depletion in the high burn-up structure of UO ₂

Experimental results for the Xe depletion in the matrix of high burn-up fuel are presented from the High Burnup Rim Project (HBRP). In this project a number of UO₂ fuel discs with ²³⁵U enrichment of 25.8 wt.% were irradiated. The Xe content of the fuel discs was analysed by means of electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The influence of the burn-up and irradiation temperature on the Xe concentration was investigated using a multi-physics approach involving various simulation tools. The temperature influence was modelled by means of the temperature dependent effective burn-up. Good agreement was found between the modelled temperature threshold of the effective burn-up and the experimental temperature threshold between un- and restructured fuel in the HBRP. However, a systematic difference is observed between the onset burn-up derived from the Xe measurements in highly enriched discs such as those of HBRP and the corresponding values derived from irradiated Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel rods and reported in the open literature. A sensitivity study identified the neutron flux spectrum and the fission product yields as the main reasons for the observed differences.