Collet joint performance study in the WWER-1000 reactor fuel assembly head

Authors: Golovleva A.M.
Published in issue: #3(92)/2024
DOI:
Category: Power, Metallurgic and Chemical Engineering | Chapter: Nuclear power plant
Keywords: fuel assembly, strength, tensile stresses, WWER-1000, Ansys Mechanical APDL, reactor, guide channels, software code, digital twin
Published: 24.06.2024

Development of the software codes makes it rather simple to compute fully a fuel assembly (FA) down to its last screw. This is not useful only in analyzing the existing reactors strength, in particular the FA, but also makes it possible to predict their further development. Software codes allow identifying, where something needs to be strengthened, and on the contrary, where excessive conservatism should be eliminated. It should be understood that modern software codes have two development approaches: empirical (industry) software codes based on the known experimentally obtained methods and the publicly available software codes, for example, the Ansys. This paper attempts to understand, to what extent the Ansys software code is applicable in analyzing strength of one of the FA parts, in particular, strength of the collet joint in the WWER-1000 reactor FA head.

References

[1] Merinova V.E. Analysis of the strength of the pressure vessel of a high-power water-moderated reactor. Student Scientific Spring. All-Russian student conf., dedicated to the 190th anniversary of Bauman Moscow State Technical University: collection of abstracts of reports. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2020, 58 p. (In Russ.).

[2] Bannikova V.A. Influence of the shape of the spill holes on the strength of the support grid of VVER-1000 fuel assemblies. Student Scientific Spring. All-Russian student conf., dedicated to the 190th anniversary of Bauman Moscow State Technical University: collection of abstracts of reports. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2023, pp. 754–755. (In Russ.).

[3] Shmelev V.D., Dragunov Yu.G., Denisov V.P. and others. WWER cores for nuclear power plants. Moscow, Akademkniga, 2004. (In Russ.).

[4] Shchetinin A.A. Influence of the method of modeling the connection of spacer grid cells on the strength of the structure. Student scientific spring. All-Russian student conf., dedicated to the 190th anniversary of Bauman Moscow State Technical University: collection of abstracts of reports. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2023, pp. 757–758. (In Russ.).

[5] Verkhoturkin E.Yu., Pashchenko V.N., Pyasetsky V.B. Interface and mesh generation in Ansys Workbench. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2013. (In Russ.).

[6] Azarova E.N., Kovaleva V.A., Satin A.A. Influence of design factors on the rigidity of fuel assemblies of water-moderated power reactors. The wealth of Russia. All-Russian forum of scientific youth: collection of reports. 2018, pp. 295–296. (In Russ.).

[7] Krupkin A.V., Kuznetsov V.I., Novikov V.V., Petrov O.M. Finite element analysis of the strength of welded joints of VVER fuel elements. Issues of atomic science and technology. Series: Materials Science and New Materials, 2019, No. 1 (97), pp. 79–96. (In Russ.).

[8] Rybalchenko O.V. Influence of severe plastic deformation on the structure, mechanical and service properties of 08Kh18N10T steel. Abstract of Cand. Sci. (Eng.). Moscow, 2014. (In Russ.).

[9] Zharkov S.V. Strength Analysis of the BREST-OD-300 Reinforced Concrete Vessel. Student Scientific Spring. All-Russian Student Conf., dedicated to the 190th Anniversary of Bauman Moscow State Technical University: collection of reports. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2023, 755 p. (In Russ.).

[10] Ladnyuk O.D. Strength Analysis of the RITM-200 Reactor Vessel. Student Scientific Spring. All-Russian Student Conf., dedicated to the 190th Anniversary of Bauman Moscow State Technical University: collection of reports. Moscow, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, 2023, 757 p. (In Russ.).