Incorporation and verification of models and properties in fuel performance codes

This deliverable summarises the first achievements of Task 7.1. The aim of this task was to improve the capabilities of engineering-scale fuel performance codes concerning the simulation of MOX fuel in fast reactor conditions representative of Generation IV systems. This objective was achieved by implement- ing the mechanistic models developed and recent data on material properties obtained in the other WPs of the INSPYRE Project, but also those available in the open literature and generated by the ESNII+ Project. The task involved the implementation in the TRANSURANUS, GERMINAL and MACROS codes of models and data concerning ▪ Mechanical properties: new correlations for the elastic constants and thermal expansion behaviour of MOX fuel for ESNII reactors. ▪ Thermal properties: new correlations for thermal conductivity and melting temperature of MOX fuels, properly fitted as a function of the relevant parameters. ▪ Inert gas behaviour: a new model based on a mechanistic approach coupling gas release and swelling.