Analysis of the performance of driver MOX fuel in the MYRRHA reactor under Beam Power Jump transient irradiation conditions

This work focuses on the performance analysis of driver fuel pins under transient irradiation conditions in the MYRRHA reactor, which must be considered besides the normal operation towards the design optimization and licensing of the facility. The considered transient scenario is a Beam Power Jump (BPJ) caused by a trip of the MYRRHA accelerator coupled to the sub-critical reactor core. Based on the outcomes of the analysis of the nominal MYRRHA irradiation - NED 386 (2022) 111581, the impact of this over-power scenario on the pin response is investigated both at the beginning and at the end of irradiation as the most critical moments for the fuel maximum temperature and for the potential fuel-cladding mechanical interaction, respectively. The simu- lation results are achieved with the TRANSURANUS fuel performance code equipped with advanced models for thermal–mechanical properties of U-Pu mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels, for inert gas behaviour and for the specific mechanical response of DIN 1.4970 cladding. The comparison with design limit criteria adopted highlights the safety of the MYRRHA fuel pins under irradiation, complying with satisfactory margins even considering the occurrence of BPJ transients.