Improvement of delayed hydride cracking assessment of PWR spent fuel during dry storage

Abstract

In a previous study, delayed hydride cracking (DHC) assessment of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel during dry storage using the threshold stress intensity factor (KIH) was performed. However, there were a few limitations in the analysis of the cladding properties, such as oxide thickness and mechanical properties. In this study, those models were modified to include test data for irradiated materials, and the cladding creep model was introduced to improve the reliability of the DHC assessment. In this study, DHC susceptibility of PWR spent fuel during dry storage depending on the axial elevation was evaluated with the improved assessment methodology. In addition, the sensitivity of affecting parameters such as fuel burnup, hydride thickness, and crack aspect ratio are presented. Keywords: DHC, PWR spent fuel, dry storage, Sensitivity