Microstructure of irradiated SBR MOX fuel and its relationship to fission gas release

SEM and EPMA examinations of the microstructure and microchemistry of British Nuclear Fuel’s quasi-homogeneous SBR MOX fuel following irradiation suggests behaviour which is very similar to that observed in UO2. Most significantly, a fission gas release of 1% in three-cycle SBR MOX PWR rods is associated with the development of a well-defined intergranular bubble network, which has not been seen previously in the more heterogeneous MOX fuels irradiated under similar conditions. The contrast between the observations is attributed to the relatively low volume fraction and small size of the Pu rich inhomogeneities in the SBR fuel which generate only 4% of the total fission gas and eject most of this into the surrounding mixed oxide matrix. The resulting perturbation in the Xe distribution has a negligible influence on the evolution of the microstructure. A key observation is made from the results of recent post-irradiation annealing experiments performed on SBR MOX and UO2. These confirm near identical fission gas behaviour in the two fuel types when the influence of thermal conductivity and rod rating are removed.